Ok, I know there isn't a lot of love for Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) here, but I figured it was best to keep the community updated on this race because it also correlates with the 2013 New Jersey Governor's race. Booker has been hitting the campaign trail with Gubernatorial candidate, Barbara Buono (D), in her long road to unseating incumbent Governor Chris Christie (R. NJ):
http://www.nj.com/...
Kicking off what he promised would be an aggressive tour in support of state Sen. Barbara Buono, Newark Mayor Cory Booker hosted the Middlesex County Democrat for a Newark listening tour today in support of Buono's bid to unseat Gov. Chris Christie in November.
"I'm going to spend a lot of time this year, crisscrossing the state, stumping for Sen. Buono," Booker told reporters huddled in the back of the Andros Diner, a local mainstay in Newark's Ironbound neighborhood. "New Jersey ... we are a blue state."
Booker and Buono did a whirlwind walking tour of small businesses along Wilson Avenue in the heart of the city's East Ward. Buono sowed her hometown credentials with the local shopkeepers as Booker sang her praises.
"This is a very important city. This is the largest city in the state. This is the city I was born in," Buono said when asked how Newark would be important to her campaign. "For me it's about not having the voters disenfranchised." - The Star-Ledger, 3/19/13
If Booker is successful in helping Buono pull off an upset victory, I will be greatly impressed by the influence he has on voters in the Garden State. Unseating Christie really shouldn't be a hard thing to do but it is, because of his popularity over how he handled disaster response after Hurricane Sandy and worked with President Obama to help with the damage. But recent developments shine a light on a very shady aspect of this story. This diary from Scout Finch highlights a news story that needs to be brought to attention during the 2013 Governor's Race:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
The Sandy relief fund chaired by New Jersey first lady Mary Pat Christie has raised more than $32 million so far. But four months after the superstorm, none of that aid has reached storm victims yet.
In an interview, Mary Pat Christie pointed to the logistical challenge of starting a charity from scratch, the relief fund’s focus on addressing long-term recovery needs, instead of short-term relief, and her own “methodical” approach to putting the proper resources and safeguards in place, as reasons for the delay.
The deliberate pace of Mary Pat Christie’s 4-month-old charity contrasts with the Robin Hood Foundation’s rapid turnaround of the $67 million raised by the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief.
To date, Robin Hood has awarded more than $50 million in grants to dozens of nonprofit groups, with nearly 40 percent of the funds earmarked for relief efforts in New Jersey. The foundation expects to commit almost all of the remaining concert money by the end of the month. - Asbury Park Press, 3/11/13
Finch provides a video to the actual interview with Christie's wife and you should certainly listen to it.
Even though Christie was not invited to CPAC and the Republicans are angry at him for working with Obama, they know deep down that Christie is their best candidate for 2016 if they ever really want to win the White House again. With clowns like Rand Paul, Jeb Bush, Bobby Jindal and Marco Rubio as potential candidates, Christie is the only one that comes close to being remotely winnable. So defeating Christie would not only be a big benefit for the people of New Jersey but also a big benefit for the Democratic Party. As much as we are all hoping that Hillary Clinton runs in 2016, we can't put all our eggs in that basket. I'm sure we'll have some great candidates when we get closer to 2016 but defeating the Republicans best candidate for 2016 and crushing his aspirations for running for President is right now our top priority. And if Booker can help pull off that miracle in making Christie a one term Governor and helping us secure the White House, we might have him to thank. You don't have to like him, you don't have to support his Senate campaign, you don't have to say anything nice about him. But if we find Christie defeated and so battered that he won't even think about running for President and giving us the White House again for another four (hopefully eight) years, Booker does deserve some credit for that.
Even though Booker might be focused on helping Buono win, he's still finding the time to put together a winning team for his 2014 Senate campaign:
http://www.nj.com/...
Cory Booker has hired a veteran of President Obama's administration to run communications for the Newark Mayor's yet unofficial campaign for U.S. Senate.
Kevin Griffis, former director of public affairs for the U.S. Department of Commerce for the first three years of the Obama administration and Obama’s communications director in several early primary states during the 2008 campaign, will help Booker craft a message and manage press relations as the media savvy mayor embarks on a bid for national office.
"Cory Booker has taken on tough challenges against long odds, worked tirelessly and brought government closer to the residents of Newark, making it more responsive," Griffis said in a statement. "Washington needs more people like that, and that's why I'm excited to join his team."
Griffis is a former reporter who won an Association of Alternative Newsmedia’s national award in 2002 for a piece that exposed illegal campaign contributions to then-Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell’s reelection campaign. - The Star-Ledger, 3/21/13
Booker might be facing a tough primary challenge from Congressman Frank Pallone (D. NJ-5) who will probably hit Booker on his record as Mayor of Newark. Booker knows he needs to get ready to defend his record and start reaching out to voters now, another reason he's hitting the campaign trail with Buono. But Booker will certainly have the backing of Hollywood's most powerful names:
http://www.usatoday.com/...
When boldface names from Hollywood such as Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Jerry Weintraub agree to help you raise campaign money, chances are you are a Democrat going full throttle for political office.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker has not formally declared his candidacy for the 2014 U.S. Senate race in New Jersey, but that's not stopping the Democrat from raising some big bucks in March and April, more than a year before the race.
The non-partisan Sunlight Foundation has found notices for at least eight Senate fundraisers for Booker, including a gala April 26 at the Beverly Hills home of Weintraub, producer of such movie hits as Diner and the Ocean's 11 remake and its sequels. - USA Today, 3/14/13
J.J. Abrams, Rob Reiner and Bruce Willis have also helped fund raise for Booker. Pallone, who has yet to announce his candidacy, has a good war chest ready if he decides to run for Senate:
http://www.philly.com/...
Congressman Frank Pallone, a fellow Democrat who is also eyeing the Senate seat, had $3.4 million in his campaign fund as of the latest reports. - Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/20/13
But even with a decent war chest, the longer Pallone waits to jump in, his shot at the nominee might be slipping away:
http://www.nytimes.com/...
For years, Representative Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey has harbored a huge ambition: to become a member of one of the nation’s most exclusive clubs, the United States Senate.
But Mr. Pallone, an amiable and soft-spoken politician with a reputation of being cautious, has let one opportunity after another slip away.
Now he has another chance to vault into the Senate: Frank R. Lautenberg announced that he would retire when his term concludes at the end of next year.
And yet Mr. Pallone, a Democrat from Monmouth County, has not exactly jumped at the chance to fill this rare opening. Instead, the congressman, who would have to give up his cherished House seat to run for the Senate, seems to need more time to think about it.
“I’ve always been interested in the Senate,” he said recently. “And I’m going to continue to explore that.”
But time may not be a luxury Mr. Pallone can afford. - New York Times, 3/14/13
Though Booker is famously known for his use of social media tools like Twitter to reach out to constituents, he recently proved at South By Southwest that he is still an old school politician:
http://www.theatlantic.com/...
It was a tour de force of old-school charismatic politics -- the ability to get in front of a crowd of people and wow them with personal magnetism. Booker had hundreds of people inside the Long Center in the palm of his hand, leaning in, listening intently to every word, laughing at every joke. Many of them were also tweeting, which was encouraged, or shooting photos and video with smartphones. As well-received as Booker's Twitter presence is for its personal touch, the live version might be better. Booker stayed around to shake hands and take pictures long after the talk, offering to first shake hands with anyone named Jordan.
There's an irony to the mastery of this backslapping style for a man whose national notoriety stems from his social-media outreach and responsiveness to constituents on Twitter (as well as for his heroic exploits in real life). Adding to the irony, Booker used his appearance to argue for the primacy of social-media in politics today.
"The tools of our parents worked so well with media," Booker said. "They mastered it and organized. We're not mastering those tools. We have better tools than they had. We can create values in places that our parents couldn't even imagine." - The Atlantic, 3/11/13
However, Booker is still a strong advocate for the integration of government and social media technology:
http://www.xconomy.com/...
Monday afternoon Newark Mayor Cory Booker crossed the Hudson River to chat at the OnMedia NYC conference about changes he believes government can make through technology. His administration uses social media to get residents more active in improving their community. “I could crowdsource my entire city,” Booker said, “and involve them in empowering Newark.”
He chatted with First Round Capital’s Howard Morgan at the two-day summit—hosted by media company AlwaysOn—for investors and entrepreneurs in advertising, social media, and commerce. Booker, who is also eyeing a run for the U.S. Senate, said government is often the last to catch up with change. He believes government should adopt certain traits of the technology sector such as being open and accessible.
That can include holding city departments more accountable for providing services. “When a water main breaks, a traffic light stops working, or a pothole appears, I am now getting people tweeting me about it and taking pictures of it,” Booker said. “I can let them know how we’re doing.” - Xconomy, 3/20/13
Booker argues that government using social media could help build a trust between politicians and younger voters:
http://techcrunch.com/...
The lack of access and transparency from lawmakers “creates cynicism from people in their engagement,” says Booker. “They don’t feel like their voice matters as much. And, therefore, they’re pulling back from the democratic sphere.”
Booker is right that a sense of trust and personal influence over our leaders is one of the best-known predictors of civic engagement. He’s betting that an extraordinary level of direct engagement with voters can break the cycle of cynicism, partisanship and disinterest. - SXSW, 3/14/13
The New Jersey Senate race may not be until next year and even though Booker hasn't officially announced his candidacy, he's taking all the steps necessary to get a head start. From helping Buono out on the campaign trail, to hiring a top notch communications director, to making public appearances and raising money from Hollywood celebrities and executives, he is clearly serious about running for higher office. I've stated before that I am staying neutral in this race. I won't officially say if I am on Team Pallone or Team Booker because I have my hesitations about each one's candidacy. I don't doubt that either man could win this seat for the Democrats but being who Booker is and Pallone taking his sweet time to decide when to jump into this race, it's really hard for me to take a side here. But the decision will be made by New Jersey voters and right now, Booker seems like he's in it to win them over.