Sen. Cory Booker says that it would be “irresponsible” for him not to seriously imagine a future where he runs for president and ultimately goes on to occupy the White House.
The New Jersey Democrat, speaking in an extensive profile piece in New York magazine on the trajectory of his career, the current political climate and his future ambitions, said that prudence demands he considers challenging President Trump in 2020.
“Of course the presidency will be something I consider,” he said for the interview published Wednesday. “It would be irresponsible not to.”
Writer Jonathan Van Meter spoke to liberal political operatives who admired his tenacity while simultaneously questioning his sincerity.
“I recently heard someone describe him as ’too Care Bear,’ and someone else describe his televised grilling in Senate hearings as ’pageantry,” Mr. Van Meter wrote. “One woman who is engaged in liberal politics wrinkled her nose when I mentioned him recently. ’He just seems a bit … programmed.’”
“If you think about the races, are you trying to restore something, or are you trying to move into the future?” said John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s former campaign chairman. “I think Cory has the capacity to project into the future with a kind of moral commitment that excites people and that’s completely believable.”
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Mr. Booker, 49, added that he hopes there won’t be “any Democrat-on-Democrat violence” in a crowded 2020 field.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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