In a packed field of diverse candidates, here's what we know about Cory Booker and his promises to the American people.
Who is Cory Booker and is he running for US President in 2020?
The African American Senator joined the race on February 1, 2019, with an emotive video in which he urged America to "rise together".
Booker has represented Newark for the past 20 years, and was elected Mayor there in 2006 and 2010.
He was born in 1969 in Washington, D.C, and raised in Harrington Park, New Jersey.
Booker later studied at Stanford, as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford and a law student at Yale.
In his election video he quotes his father saying: "Boy, don't forget where you came from" as his inspiration for moving back to New Jersey to help those living there.
Also in the emotive clip, he recalls his African American family's struggle for integration; and credits a group of white activist lawyers (inspired by the black civil rights movement) with changing the course of his life.
Politically he is considered a social liberal, supporting women's rights, affirmative action, same-sex marriage and single-payer healthcare.
He has consistently spoken up against Trump, calling on him to resign over allegations of sexual misconduct and describing his border wall as "senseless and wasteful".
In 2017, he became the first sitting senator to testify against another when he testified against Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions during his confirmation hearing.
As Newark Mayor, he enjoyed high ratings from city residents but his legacy had a mixed review.
In 2013, he became the first African-American US Senator from New Jersey and the first African American to be elected to the senate since Barack Obama in 2004.
Booker is not married and it is not known if he is currently dating.
In the past he has mocked attempts by the media to define his sexuality, saying in 2013: "I love seeing on Twitter when someone says I'm gay, and I say, "So what does it matter if I am? So be it.
"I hope you are not voting for me because you are making the presumption that I'm straight".
Is he really a vegan?
Booker, 49, has been a vegetarian since 1992, when he was a student at Oxford.
Since 2014 he has practised a vegan diet, sometimes sharing his food philosophy his food choices to his 550,000 Instagram followers.
He also abstains from alcohol and smoking.
What was his Spartacus speech?
Booker managed to embarrass himself by launching a passionate speech about putting everything at risk to expose Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh as a supporter of racial profiling.
“This is about the closest I’ll probably ever have in my life to an ‘I am Spartacus’ moment,” he said with a straight face, referring to the 1960 movie Spartacus about a failed slave revolt led by the title character.
When the rulers warned that all the slaves would be crucified unless Spartacus identified himself, he stood up. Then all the other slaves did the same, saying, “I am Spartacus.”
However, Booker's Spartacus moment was somewhat misplaced – as it turned out the documents had already been released the night before.
Moreover, the documents didn't stack up Booker's claims about profiling.
Source: Read Full Article