Formally declaring his candidacy for U.S. Senate, Newark Mayor Cory Booker now finds himself in a primary against like-minded Democratic congressmen that will be decided in mid-summer, when exceptionally low voter turnout threatens his early advantage.
Booker made his candidacy official Saturday at a news conference in Newark, New Jersey’s largest city, which he has led since 2006. He is vying to fill the seat of U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who died Monday at age 89.
Booker, 44, said he hoped to bring a fresh pragmatic voice to Washington, where “too many have come to believe … nothing can get done.”
“We need someone in the United States Senate who’s actually had to work on difficult problems, who’s actually had to find people jobs, who’s actually had people standing in front of their homes and had to work on everything from getting people into food stamp programs to helping young people better afford college,” Booker said.
Reps. Frank Pallone and Rush Holt are also planning to enter the Democratic primary, which is scheduled for Aug. 13. The only Republican running so far is Steve Lonegan, a former Bogota mayor who runs the New Jersey office of Americans for Prosperity.
Candidates have until 4 p.m. Monday to file petitions to enter the race.
Booker was joined by former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley, a former pro basketball player who for 18 years held the Senate seat Booker is seeking.
Bradley, who endorsed Booker, called him “the right person for the right office at the right time.”
Booker started fundraising for a 2014 Senate campaign after announcing he would not run against Christie for governor, citing his desire to finish his term in Newark, which expires in June 2014.
On Saturday, he acknowledged that the accelerated timing of the race was not chosen or anticipated. But, he said $1 billion in development projects in the pipeline in Newark would continue.
Booker is considered the early front-runner, though election observers agree anything can happen in a hastily called summer election. He had raised $1.9 million by the end of the last reporting period in March.
Pallone, 61, had $3.7 million in his campaign coffers at the end of March and has deep union support. Holt, 64, a former research physicist, had $800,000 on hand.
Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, announced last week that there would be party primaries Aug. 13 and a special general election Oct. 16.
A Democratic party official in northern New Jersey sued Friday to try to get the special election held Nov. 5, the same date Christie is up for re-election.
The winner of the October special election will hold the seat until November 2014, when voters will elect a senator for the regular six-year term.
Booker pledged not to run a negative campaign against Holt, for whom Booker has raised funds, or Pallone, who has been in Congress since 1993. All three are known to support liberal causes.
Booker’s critics in Newark see him as an ambitious interloper who spends too much of his time outside the city.
In 2010, he was seated next to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg at a dinner during a conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. Two months later, Zuckerberg announced a $100 million donation to improve education in Newark. Zuckerberg is planning to host a fundraiser for Booker’s Senate run soon.
About the Author
