The race was characterized as a contest between two candidates, Ras Baraka and Shavar Jeffries, both from Newark's South Ward.

Luis A. Quintana, who had become Mayor of Newark following the resignation of Cory Booker (who had been elected to the United States Senate), did not seek the seat.

[4] As quoted in the Newark-based newspaper, The Star-Ledger, Rutgers University professor Clement Price characterized the election as the "first mayoral race after the long drama associated with the ending of Mayor Sharpe James' last term and the national ascent of Cory Booker" and "wonders whether the local and national attention in this campaign will be anywhere proximate to the life and times of Cory Booker and Newark.

While Newark continues to attract new downtown development and its housing stock is being renewed, many residents sense that the neighborhoods still suffer from poor schools, underemployment, and high crime rates.

[8][9] Both had candidates asked the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey to monitor voting on election day.

[12] In November 2017 Baraka was accused of violating campaign finance rules, mainly for non-disclosure, by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.

[34][35][36][37][38][39] While rules state that any Newark resident can be selected as interim mayor by a vote of the municipal council, normally its president ascends to the post.

[41][42][43][44][45][46] Luis A. Quintana is the longest serving councilman and has allies on both sides of the political divide, which tends to fall along racial lines.

[51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60] The city will likely require assistance to avoid bankruptcy for the 2013/2014 budget and state has threatened to exert further control over the fiscal matters.

The plan has met with stiff resistance from a large segment of Newark's population, with critics saying there's no evidence it will increase student performance.

[77] While candidates agree with many of the policies being implemented in the program, the disregard for community input and the pace of change has drawn criticism.

[78][79] In 2010, Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook donated $100 million of his personal fortune to the Newark school system.

[87] In a period ending September 6, 2013 the city saw 10 murders in 10 days, a statistic largely attributed to the reduction of the police force.

[91] In September 2010, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey filed a petition with the Department of Justice in response to recurring complaints of police brutality and abuse.

A New Jersey State Comptroller report issued in February 2014 revealed irregularities and corruption within the Newark Watershed and Development Corporation, which is the process of being dismantled after being taken over the city.

[105] In March 2014, State Senators Sam Thompson and Ron Rice launched an online petition to urge an investigation into the Newark Watershed.

While during his tenure there had been millions of dollars of investment in Downtown development, with many projects still to come on line,[108] there is persistent underemployment and high murder rates in many of the city's neighborhoods.