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U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., had no problem getting reelected in Tuesday’s general election. He was declared the winner by the Associated Press the instant the polls closed at 8:00 p.m. With 94% of the ballots counted on Nov. 4, Booker led Republican Justin Murphy 62.1% to 35.3%.
After Democrats won a sweeping national victory in the midterm elections, Booker will join other Democratic leaders next week in Denver, Colorado, for a “What’s Next” summit. What he has not done is rule out a run for president.
When asked if he has made up his mind about seeking the Democratic nomination for president in two years, Booker said no. He told WHYY News that Americans share a common pain even though they lack a sense of common purpose.
“My focus right now is being a voice in this country, a leader in this nation,” he said. “I’m a New Jersey guy, we want to play big, and I’m going to do everything I can to help redeem the dream of America, to make this nation work for everybody.”
Booker said the nation’s real divide was between people’s aspirations for their lives and what they could afford.
“They do not believe, whether it’s home buying or being able to pay the rent and health care costs, it’s becoming too hard to have what we believe is the fulfillment of the American promise,” he said.
Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, said it would not be surprising if Booker does throw his hat into the presidential ring.
“He certainly sounds like a national figure; he very clearly is thinking about affordability issues, economic issues,” Rasmussen said. “Based on everything we’ve seen, his fundraising, his big margin of victory, it seems to me that it’s likely that we will see him running for president in 2028.”
