Cory Booker’s 2020 presidential campaign

Cory Booker, the outspoken former mayor of Newark, New Jersey, has served as a Democratic senator from New Jersey since 2013. Booker joined the crowded 2020 presidential election field with an announcement video sent to supporters on February 1, 2019, the start of Black History Month.

Booker has made a name for himself through his active Twitter presence and confrontations at numerous congressional hearings, including that of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The senator is also a familiar face in early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire, where he made appearances on behalf of other candidates in 2018.

Booker is hoping his candidacy will speak to an increasingly younger and more diverse Democratic base. He has positioned himself squarely within the Senate’s progressive wing, and has advocated for issues meant to benefit communities of color and working Americans. He has also championed numerous social and criminal justice reform policies including reducing income inequality through “baby bonds” and marijuana legalization.

He’ll have to contend, though, with his work promoting charter schools (not a favorite of teachers unions) and the perception that he’s close with Wall Street.