NEWARK, N.J., March 28 (UPI) -- Newark Mayor Sharpe James, who has run New Jersey's largest city for almost two decades, has decided to stand down.
James made his announcement only 11 days after he officially entered the race. His withdrawal opens the way for Cory Booker, the Rhodes Scholar who lost a close race four years ago.
Booker has put together a formidable campaign, with endorsements from major unions and three city council members and $4 million in cash. Some political analysts say James decided to go out as undefeated champion.
"In many ways, this race is about regime change," Walter Fields, a former leader of the NAACP, told the New York Times. "It really marks a change in the landscape in Newark -- one of those rare times we're going to see politics in New Jersey's biggest city really shift."
The nasty 2002 race between James and Booker was depicted in the Oscar-nominated documentary "Street Fight." Booker, a graduate of Yale Law School, attracted national notice even before the movie because of his unusual credentials for a mayoral candidate.
Booker has three opponents still in the race, including state Sen. Ronald Rice, a deputy mayor and former police officer likely to pick up the votes of James loyalists.
