Cory Bookers already looking at 2024 but not for another White House run

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker already is making plans to hike the campaign trail in 2024, though the White House wont be his destination.

Booker told NJ Advance Media he expects President Joe Biden to run for re-election and would be 100% behind him. He said his focus would be on helping Democrats retain control of the Senate as several Democratic incumbents will be running for re-election in states whose voters strongly supported Donald Trump in 2020, such as Montana, Ohio and West Virginia.

Obviously, the map is tough in 2024, Booker said. What Ill do, as I just did in 2020, is do everything I can to help my colleagues defend their seats. Its a map that is really disadvantageous where were defending a lot and they have a lot of safe seats. My focus has been, for the causes that I care about, is to just go everything I can to help my colleagues help us keep the Senate.

When he ran for re-election in 2020 after his own presidential campaign failed, Booker spent part of the fall campaigning for his colleagues. He traveled to Georgia last month to support U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock in the runoff that returned the freshman to office.

Cory has come into a very important and critical role in our party, Democratic consultant Antjean Seawright said. He has been one of the very few voices and forces in our party that can campaign anywhere with anyone. Get politics news like this right to your inbox with the N.J. Politics newsletter. Add your email below and hit “subscribe”
      

At a meeting earlier this month with more than 100 donors, Booker talked about the need for his supporters to help fund the campaigns of his Senate colleagues, according to Democratic consultant Mo Butler, an adviser to the New Jersey Democrat.

Hes doing everything he can do for his colleagues, Butler said.

Booker also said he would stay close to home to help U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, whose term is up in 2024. He invested plenty of time and effort to re-elect Menendez in 2018 after polls showed a tough race for the senior senator.

Menendez had been severely admonished by the Senate Ethics Committee for accepting gifts from a friend and campaign donor and survived an indictment on federal corruption charges. (A jury did not convict him and the Justice Department dropped the case after a judge acquitted him on several counts.)

He currently is the subject of a new federal investigation but details are scant.

Biden has indicated that would seek re-election in 2024, and his approval ratings have ticked up following a midterm election that defied trends and saw the Democrats pick up a Senate seat and hold down losses in the House even as they lost the majority.

In a Quinnipiac University poll released earlier this month, 43% of registered voters approved of his performance in office, his highest level of support since September 2021 when 42% approved. His disapproval rating declined to 49%, lowest since 50% in September 2021.

By 48% to 43%, Democrats said they would like to see him seek a second term.

Booker refused to engage in speculation of what he would do if Biden decided to bow out.

I am so confident that Joe Biden is running and so excited to support him for re-election that Im not playing scenarios, Booker said. He is healthy, vital and continuing to do things that make him one of the most productive presidents in American history. And thats not an exaggeration, just based upon the legislation hes gotten past.

And if not Biden, theres always Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black and first woman to be elected vice president, Booker said.

I havent made any kind of decisions yet but one has to conclude that the standard bearer for our party, or at least the frontrunner, immediately would be Kamala Harris, Booker said. Shes somebody that I have a lot of support and love for.

Booker and Harris both ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, but neither even made it to the Iowa caucuses as Biden was strongly supported by a plurality of Black Democrats, thanks in part to the goodwill he built up serving as vice president under the first Black president, Barack Obama.

Harris presence in the race wouldnt preclude Booker from trying again, Seawright said.

Its just an argument of resume comparison and who would be the strongest nominee to represent the Democratic Party, he said.

Another New Jerseyan, Gov. Phil Murphy, also has been mentioned as a potential 2024 Democratic candidate in Bidens absence.

Should he run, Bookers previous presidential campaign experience will be an asset, Democratic consultant Michael Soliman said.

If President Biden doesnt run, there will be a level playing field and Senator Booker will have the advantage of his campaign experience from four years ago to quickly elevate his candidacy, Soliman said. He knows how to inspire people and get them excited to participate in our democratic process and weve seen how voter engagement and turnout can affect close elections.

To that end, Booker is learning the lessons from his 2020 run, Butler said.

We want to be prepared for an opportunity that might or might not occur, Butler said. Having done it before, we know where we were weak and we know where we strong. Were prepared for any contingency that may be out there. You dont want to be caught flatfooted.

Even if he decides not to run in a Biden-less 2024 primary, Booker, 53, has plenty of time to make another White House run, Democratic consultant Peter Fenn said

Then again, then-Gov. Chris Christie decided not to seek the Republican nomination to take on Obama in 2012, and when he entered the GOP presidential contest four years later, he ran up against an even more outspoken opponent in Donald Trump.

My guess is hes got to be looking at this thing, Fenn said of Booker. The trick with this stuff is going to be timing.

By campaigning around the country for other Democrats, Booker can pick up the chits and make the contacts that can help him should he eventually try for the White House again.

In terms of star power, in terms of being on the stump, hes really good, Fenn said, Youre making those contacts. Its also the money piece and meeting a lot of the folks who are going to open their wallets for you. If Biden does run, thats his perfect strategy. You go to every Democratic chicken dinner in every state, every fundraising dinner you can get to.

Booker acknowledged that his rationale for running for the White House four years ago still remains in place.

Obviously the reasons I ran for president in 2020, many of them are still there: My strong belief that we have to find ways to unite again in this country and reaffirm that we are a nation that the lines that divide us are not nearly as strong as the ties that bind us.

But, he said, 2024 is about helping a lot of my Senate colleagues in tough races and then supporting Joe Biden.

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Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @JDSalant.