Cory Booker

Cory Anthony Booker is a United States Senator from New Jersey and a member of the Democratic Party. Born on April 27, 1969, in Washington, D.C., he was raised in Harrington Park, New Jersey, where his parents were among the first Black executives at IBM. Booker earned a B.A. in political science and an M.A. in sociology from Stanford University, where he played varsity football. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford, earning an honors degree in history, and later received his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1997. Booker's political career began on the Newark City Council, where he served from 1998 to 2002, gaining attention for a ten-day hunger strike to protest open-air drug dealing. He later served as the 36th mayor of Newark from 2006 to 2013, a tenure marked by significant urban redevelopment and a national profile built through active social media engagement. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in a 2013 special election following the death of Senator Frank Lautenberg, becoming the first African American to represent New Jersey in the chamber. In the Senate, he has been a prominent advocate for criminal justice reform, notably co-authoring the bipartisan First Step Act of 2018.

Senator Booker's policy positions are characterized by a focus on social justice and economic equity. He is a co-sponsor of 'Medicare for All' legislation and views healthcare as a fundamental human right, while also supporting improvements to the Affordable Care Act. On economic issues, he advocates for a $15 federal minimum wage, a federal job guarantee, and 'baby bonds'—federally funded savings accounts for children to address the racial wealth gap. He is a vocal supporter of environmental justice, advocating for clean air and water access and supporting cap-and-trade systems to combat climate change. In foreign policy, as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he emphasizes human rights, global food security, and strengthening health systems in Africa. Booker also supports the legalization of cannabis, the protection of DACA recipients, and the codification of abortion rights and LGBTQ+ protections.