Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) just announced that he’s running for president in 2020, joining an increasingly crowded roster.
Ahead of him in announcements have been Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). Also having announced are former San Antonio Mayor and Obama administration official Julian Castro and Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard.
Others considering a run for the Democratic ticket are Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), former vice president Joe Biden, and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke.
In his announcement video, Booker has focused on a message of community, inclusiveness, and hope—similar to the one that worked for Barack Obama in 2008—rather than a focus on the policies of Donald Trump, as the Wall Street Journal reported.
“I believe that we can build a country where no one is forgotten, no one is left behind,” he stated in the video.
Booker previously served as the mayor of Newark and was the first black senator from New Jersey. He attended Stanford, Oxford, and Yale Law School.
He currently has $4 million in his campaign account, according to the Journal. He’s been involved in criminal justice reform, has called for a Medicare-for-all health care system, and has advocated addressing climate change and importing prescription drugs from Canada.
But he may still meet resistance from the more liberal part of the Democratic party. For example, the support for prescription drug importation from Canada to help control costs came after he had opposed a similar measure in the past. He also has had close ties to Wall Street and met with executives there, as did Harris, CNBC reported.
