It appears increasingly likely that the 2020 Democratic primary field will be the most wide open in recent memory, and perhaps in the history of American politics.
The Daily Beast spoke with opposition researchers and operatives in both parties to get a sense of what could prove helpful and harmful for candidates. These are the individuals whose job it is to understand and exploit the vulnerabilities of those running for office. All of them cautioned that their perspectives were not the same as predictions. But they still had insights to share, which The Daily Beast will be presenting in a multi-part series. Today, we look at Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) who has risen from mayor of Newark to one of the most recognizable Democrats in the U.S. Senate but who remains hampered by his perceived ties to Wall Street.
Cory Booker
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Like others eyeing the White House, Booker has taken substantive moves to the left since the 2016 election. The senator has emphasized criminal justice reform as a primary plank of a potential campaign. He has spoken about the different treatment people of color receive for marijuana offenses compared to Caucasians, endorsed Medicare for All and a federal jobs guarantee and also raised his profile via an important Senate Judiciary Committee post.
Booker has also emphasized a positive vision in his stump speech in an effort to shy away from the fire and brimstone that has characterized modern politics. If some of his opponents try to harness the rage of the electorate, Booker appears poised to quite literally talk about “love.”
Democratic officials see this as a way for the senator to differentiate himself while also presenting his candidacy as not just an ideological break from Trumpism but a spiritual one as well.
But the question facing Booker, these officials say, is not how he may square up with the president in a general but how he will maneuver through the primary among fellow Democrats.
Democrats say Booker will get plaudits for being at the vanguard of the criminal justice reform movement. And his advocacy for decriminalizing marijuana certainly fits with the trends in public opinion.
Booker also did things like introducing a bill to import prescription drugs from Canada. But operatives predict any declarations of progressivism will likely be viewed with similar skepticism by some of the base.
“It’s going to be up to the progressive voters to see if they mean it or not,” Jeff Berkowitz, who previously served as research director of the Republican National Committee said of the field more broadly.
The skepticism could be especially true due to Booker’s ties to the financial industry. Just four years ago, he held the title of the member of Congress who had received the most money from Wall Street. At the time, the person who came in second place was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). (Though by 2016, he wasn't in the top 20).
“The campaign finance stuff will be problematic,” one Democrat in the field of opposition research said.
Most 2020 Democratic candidates are likely to shun Super PAC money and rely on small-dollar contributions. But it will be especially important for Booker to do so. In February, Booker took the preemptive step to promise not to take any more PAC money. But that may not be enough to cover up old parts of the Senator’s record.
During the 2012 presidential campaign, Booker criticized the Obama campaign for its attacks on Mitt Romney’s work at the private equity giant Bain Capital. Those attacks had been a central component of the argument against Romney and it caused no shortage of consternation within Obama world to see a top surrogate criticize them.
Tomorrow, we talk to oppo researchers about the strengths and weaknesses of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who is quietly regarded among many Republicans as a major threat but who could find trouble explaining her more conservative-leaning past.
Update 01/06/19 10:48PM: This article was updated to clarify Sen. Booker's prescription drug bill.
