I love seeing on Twitter when someone says I'm gay, and I say, "So what does it matter if I am? [32][33] Booker was reelected with 59% of the vote. Everything that occurred beyond the door, he saidthe entire interviewwould have to be off the record. [5] Booker has Sierra Leonean ancestry, which he learned when featured on the PBS television program Finding Your Roots. Out of decency, or the political need to at least appear decent, all would-be candidates waited until the ailing lawmaker announced he would not seek reelection to mount their own campaignswell, all but Booker, who allegedly refused to let Lautenberg fade nobly into the sunset and instead stared him down in his weakened state to let him know who the boss was. [134], Booker played a leading role in the push to pass the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill. [72][73], In December 2012, after discussions with a constituent about New Jersey's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Booker began a weeklong challenge attempting to live on a food budget of $30 per weekthe amount he said that New Jersey paid SNAP recipients. The series focuses on Booker's efforts to improve Newark by reducing crime and bring about economic renewal. He was the first senator to ever testify against another senator during attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions's 2017 confirmation hearing. "[125], In 2018, Politico named Booker part of the "Hell-No Caucus", along with Senators Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders, after he voted "overwhelmingly to thwart his [Trump's] nominees for administration jobs", including Rex Tillerson, Betsy De Vos, and Mike Pompeo; all the senators on the list were considered potential 2020 presidential contenders. Some supporters keep pace, and others trail behind walking, there to observe Booker in the flesh more than for the cardio. [43] But his administration imposed one-day-a-month furloughs for all non-uniformed employees from July through December 2010, as well as 2% pay cuts for managers and directors earning more than $100,000 a year. "We're more intertwined than we think," he said. [211] As of June 2016, Booker worshiped at the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Newark. [2][3][4] Booker has said that he was raised in a religious household and that he and his family attended a small African Methodist Episcopal Church in New Jersey. [153], Booker has been called a liberal and progressive Democrat. "It's just amazing to see the mix that goes on to make me who I am," Booker said. He instead sent a business administrator in his place, and then when the administrator resigned, in 2010, Booker never replaced them. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful, One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He attended Stanford University, receiving a BA in 1991 and a master's degree a year later. [107], In his reelection campaign, Booker faced Republican nominee Rik Mehta, a pharmaceutical executive and attorney. He was reelected in 2010. Booker was born in Washington, D.C.; he grew up in Harrington Park, New Jersey, 20 miles (32km) northeast of Newark. The film was nominated in 2005 for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Murphy signs bill to make November election mostly mail-only in New Jersey", "Debate reveals chasmic splits between Booker, Mehta", "Trump dominates N.J. Senate debate between Booker, Mehta", "Democrat Cory Booker defeats GOP challenger Rik Mehta in race for US Senate seat in New Jersey", "S. 815: Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013", "Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2013 (2013; 113th Congress S. 1881) GovTrack.us", "H.R. Booker introduced the bill, along with Republican Sen. Rand Paul, in July. He has submitted to few interviews, but remains ever-visible on social media. [135] He has introduced the Marijuana Justice Act, which would legalize cannabis in the United States on the federal level, defund some law enforcement in jurisdictions that have shown racial bias in marijuana arrests, and increase funding to communities affected by the war on drugs. [25] Although James filed paperwork to run for reelection, he announced shortly thereafter that he would instead cancel his bid to focus on his work as a state senator, a position to which he was elected in 1999. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor, The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. Check local listings to find it in your area. Corruption scandals. [8][9] In addition, Booker ran The Bridge Peer Counseling Center, a student-run crisis hotline, and organized help from Stanford students for youth in East Palo Alto, California. He would get it down. James defended his decades-long rule of Brick City by using Bookers made-for-campaign-literature biography against him. On October 16, he defeated Republican Steve Lonegan in the general election, 54.9% to 44.0%. [172] In 2021, The American Prospect criticized Booker and Bob Menendez for recommending Christine O'Hearne to a federal judgeship after she had spent much of her career defending employers against discrimination and sexual harassment claims, and had defended a school against allegations that its swim coach had sexually abused a girl from ages 13 to 19. [87] PolitiFact rated the claim "false" because he used data that had not been seasonally adjusted; the adjusted rate was 0.7 percentage points. Booker has made poverty a central focus in his presidential campaign. The Biden And Trump Classified Documents Scandal Explained. Booker's episode, which also features Lewis, premieres on April 1. It didn't stick when the government tried to do it and it should not stick now. His central senatorial achievement, if you want to call it that, is the introduction of the REDEEM Actan overhaul of the criminal-justice system that would encourage states to address the cycle of incarceration and recidivism by reforming how juveniles are dealt with, and to make it easier for people with criminal records to get jobs. Booker has stated that Iran poses a direct threat to American and Israeli security and feels all options should be on the table for dealing with the conflict,[165] but his decision to back the Iran nuclear deal framework[168] damaged his long-term relationship with some Jewish voters and supporters. He has pushed for economic reforms to address wealth inequality in the U.S., particularly the racial wealth gap. [117] In February 2014, Booker voted against the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013. Murder, violent crime, unemployment, and taxes all rose dramatically under his stewardship. [213] The Daily Caller and Fox News brought up the column during the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings in September 2018. Directions Booker eyes diseases affecting those in extreme poverty in new legislation by Justine Coleman - 10/23/19 9:27 AM ET Getty Images Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on Wednesday introduced new. Booker's first term saw the doubling of affordable housing under development and the reduction of the city budget deficit from $180 million to $73 million. With Lautenberg somewhere in the ether, Christie scheduled a special election (at a cost of $24 million to taxpayers) for October 16th. [146] Within a month after Booker announced his candidacy, Governor Phil Murphy,[147] Bob Menendez,[148] and every Democratic member of the House of Representatives from New Jersey endorsed him. He gracefully lifts a little boy in the air and poses for a picture. Im really excited about the opportunity to be New Jerseys United States senatornot just for eleven months, like Ive been now, but have a full term of six years.. [43], Booker generated controversy on May 12, 2012, when he appeared on Meet The Press as a surrogate for Obama's reelection campaign and made remarks critical of that campaign. In November 2006, as one of the last remaining tenants in Brick Towers, Booker left his apartment for the top unit in a three-story rental on Hawthorne Avenue in Newark's South Ward, an area described as "a drug- and gang-plagued neighborhood of boarded-up houses and empty lots. [126], In April 2018, after the FBI raided the hotel room and offices of Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, Booker, Chris Coons, Lindsey Graham, and Thom Tillis introduced new legislation to "limit President Trump's ability to fire special counsel Robert Mueller." When it came time to publicize the proposal, one senior Republican operative with knowledge of the situation told me, Booker wasnt overly comfortable jumping out and having the spotlight put on him. Miscommunication between Booker and Pauls camps led to the nixing of the original PR plan, which was to do a full-on media blitz to promote their ideas. Reality in Newark on Mayor's Watch", "State control of Newark schools upheld by panel of appellate court judges", "State warns Newark mayor his staff moves may not fly", "Cory Booker claims jobless rate fell two percentage points in Newark last year", "Cory Booker will explore run for Senate in 2014", "Newark Mayor Booker Files Papers to Run for Senate", "Cory Booker Still Won't Confirm His Run For Senate", "Sen. Lautenberg won't run for reelection", "United States Senate special election in New Jersey, 2013", "Official List Candidates for US Senate For SPECIAL GENERAL ELECTION FOR US SENATE 10/16/2013 Election", "Shutdown key issue in special Senate election", "Booker, Winning Rocky Senate Bid, Gets a Job to Fit His Profile", "Cory Booker wins Democratic primary in New Jersey", "Full Timeline Important Dates for Election Officials 2013 Special General Election for Office of U.S. Senate", "See Cory Booker's resignation letter as he bids farewell to Newark City Hall, goes to Washington", "Cory Booker takes his superhero act to the Senate", "N.J. So be it. He was white. First, Booker will have to get past Bell, who arrived back in the Garden State in February following 30 years spent in Fairfax, Virginia. He would carry you to safety. [51] He also raised the salaries of many city workers. Booker sits on the board of advisers of the political action committee Democrats for Education Reform. [193], Booker appeared in a scene in the 2015 Parks and Recreation episode "Ms. Ludgate-Dwyer Goes to Washington" alongside Orrin Hatch. Where to Begin? Because of this one dude who quotes Gandhi? All the while, from 2006 to 2011, Booker was still receiving annual payments, which totaled close to $700,000, from his former law firmTrenk, DiPasquale, Websterfrom which he had resigned once elected mayor to avoid the appearance of impropriety. Bookers campaign spokeswoman, Silvia Alvarez, told me: He was paid out by the firm as part of his separation agreement for work he performed before he became mayor. OK, sure, but while Booker was profiting from the firm, they were profiting from Newark: over $2 million in work for Newarks Housing Authority, the Watershed Conservation Development Corporation, and a wastewater agency. "[124] Booker downplayed the corruption allegations, saying "to try to continue to try to throw this kind of mud at him, it's not going to stick. A man in the crowd asks Booker about the Senate. '"[133] Booker was also one of several Democratic lawmakers and critics of President Trump who was targeted with a mailed pipe bomb. [132] Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas mocked Booker in comments the following week, saying, "Honorableif we could use that word about more people who are in public life, people who actually ask the questions at confirmation hearings, instead of 'Spartacus. Cory Booker, elected mayor of Newark, New Jersey, in 2006, came by his civil-rights activism at an early age. Its eight oclock on a Sunday night in Jersey City, and for the first time this October its cold enough to see your breath in front of you with a deep exhale of the Hudson River air. [165][166] After the US strike on Syria in April 2017, he criticized military action "without a clear plan" or authorization from Congress. [181] Booker received another honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in December 2010 from Yeshiva University for "his bold vision for Newark and setting a national standard for urban transformation. He grasps the phone in his capable hand, outstretches his long arm toward the ceiling, and angles it down just so. Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind, (September 11, 2008). Inside Torico Ice Cream on Erie Street, Booker is standing among his supporters, a white towel draped over his neck absorbing the sweat dripping down from his shiny, bald head. On a Friday in May, he delivers a commencement speech at Newark's Kean University, where, after he finishes, students shout "2020!" at the New Jersey Democrat.

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