Sen. Cory A. Booker has met a self-imposed fundraising deadline to keep his campaign alive, marking the latest political stunt from the New Jersey Democrat who has shown a flair for the dramatic over his political career.
Mr. Booker’s track record includes saving a woman from a burning building, rescuing a pooch from below zero temperature and likening himself to the gladiator “Spartacus” during a committee hearing on Capitol Hill.
This time he sent out an SOS warning that his campaign was on the verge of capsizing if donors didn’t pony up close to $2 million over the closing days of the fundraising quarter.
“This moment is a testimony to the power of what’s possible when people unite in common purpose and work toward a shared goal,” Mr. Booker said Monday after meeting his goal. “I’m staying in this race — and I’m in it to win.
“But this won’t be the last mountain we have to climb on our way to the nomination — we have a lot more money to raise to continue being competitive with the better-funded campaigns in this race,” he said.
Mr. Booker’s message of unity has been well-received at campaign stops and helped him score a slew of endorsements from state lawmakers in the early primary states.
But that hasn’t translated into support in the polls that show him stuck in the low-single digits.
“With the exception of [former Vice President Joseph R.] Biden, [Sen. Bernard] Sanders and [Sen. Elizabeth] Warren, everybody is way behind and I truly believe the size of the field is having a detrimental effect on voters, that they are just not tuning in like they would be if this is a six or seven person race,” said Jim Demers, who is advising the Booker campaign in New Hampshire.
Mr. Demers said the media also has limited resources to cover the candidates, so they focus much of their attention on the free polling front-runners and less on the rest of the pack.
“It is kind of the chicken and the egg situation,” he said.
Supporters of Mr. Booker and the other lower-tier candidates take comfort in the fact that former President Bill Clinton was a blip on the radar screen at this point in the race in 1992.
The clock, though, is ticking.
Candidates who have struggled in the polls have failed to secure invitations from the Democratic National Committee to the nationally televised debates, which have provided a major platform for candidates to strengthen their image and woo donors.
A dozen candidates have qualified for the Oct. 15 CNN/ New York Times debate in Ohio by capturing 2% in four approved polls and receiving at least 130,000 unique donors, including 400 donors in at least 20 states.
Billionaire activist Tom Steyer and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii are set to join the 10 candidates who participated in the September debate.
Things are set to get harder from here.
The Democratic National Committee raised the bar to qualify for the November debate, requiring at least 165,000 individual donors, and 3% in four polls or 5% support in two polls in the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
The announcement put some of the campaigns on death watch.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was the latest Democrat to drop out of the race, winnowing the field to 19 contenders.
Activists, meanwhile, say Mr. Booker’s inability to break through has been a bit puzzling.
“He has a very positive message and a can-do attitude, and I don’t know why,” said Lynn Thomas, chair of the Belknap County New Hampshire Democrats. “I just can’t put my finger on it either. I have thought about it a lot and I have talked to a lot of people and nobody knows why.”
Others said that former Vice President Joseph R. Biden has sucked a lot of oxygen out of the room, particularly for voters who are looking for something other than a far-left firebrand.
New Hampshire state Rep. David J. Luneau said there is still time for Mr. Booker to make an impression on voters, including those planning to turnout for New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary.
“I think his message does resonate here in the Granite State and I think he has broad appeal as well, and another thing I think to keep in mind that it is still early,” said Mr. Luneau said. “People are just getting past the summer time.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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