He’s back on the trail, folks.
Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker announced Wednesday that he’s back to campaigning for the Senate days after New Jersey Democrats declared “war in the U.S. Senate” at a union rally with Booker in attendance.
Booker is also back to sending campaign emails, which have in the past had subject lines including “I’ll Try,” “Hope,” “Believe,” “Team,” and “Why?,” and have cited Dr. Martin Luther King in opposition to Republican budget plans.
Booker kicked off his campaign with three heavily promoted campaign events Wednesday, including a stop in South Jersey to lend some face time to Democratic congressional candidate Donald Norcross. Booker, who won a short term in a 2013 special election, is facing former Reagan speechwriter Jeff Bell. Booker led by only ten points in an August 6 Quinnipiac poll.
Booker and Norcross were identified as organized labor’s top two must-elect candidates in a fiery pre-Labor Day speech by Democratic State Senate President Stephen Sweeney at an AFL-CIO event. Both Booker and Norcross were in the audience at the event.
“We’re under attack, and this country has gone backward as we’ve seen labor go backward,” Sweeney said. “I know we’re going to elect Donald. But we have to elect Cory Booker.”
“We’re at war in the U.S. Senate right now,” Sweeney said. “We could lose the United States Senate to Republicans. Half the country is right-to-work right now. Where do you think we go?”
The last time then-Newark mayor Booker was running in what ended up a 53-47 race against Republican Steve Lonegan, Newark saw a historic summer murder spree. Booker’s campaign featured neighborhood raccoon-saving ventures and other heroics highlighted by his Twitter slogan “On it.” (RELATED: Cory Booker Breaks Promise To Help Woman With Raccoon Infestation).