Cory Booker: I Am the ‘Only Person’ in the Race Who Can Turn out Black Vote

Democrat presidential hopeful Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) claimed this week he is the “only person” in the race for president who can “turn out the vote and win in a heavily black electorate.”

Booker’s comments were made in a column for Essence magazine, which became available Tuesday.

“In a party and a country that is only becoming more diverse, the ability to build multi-racial, multi-ethnic coalitions is not a nice-to-have — it’s a job requirement,” Booker claimed. “I’m the only person in this race who has demonstrated time and time again, with only my own name on the ballot, an ability to turn out the vote and win in a heavily black electorate.”

“What we need to understand right now as a party is that every successful struggle for justice in America — not to mention every winning Democratic coalition in modern times — has included the active participation and engagement of black people,” he continued.
Booker also reiterated throughout the piece how “the Democratic Party is a diverse party.”

“Energizing, exciting, and igniting a diverse coalition of voters is the challenge we face in this election because that coalition won’t just decide who our nominee is, it will determine whether or not we beat Donald Trump,” Booker added.

An October poll from YouGov showed Booker trailing several Democrat presidential hopefuls in regards to support from black voters. Those who outrank Booker include former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

When questioned about this last month, Booker said, “Let my work speak for me” and recalled his efforts on the First Step Act.

“In the United States Senate, I’ve pushed more than a dozen bills on these issues that span from police accountability all the way to the bill that I actually got passed … the First Step Act, which has already led to the liberation of thousands of people, overwhelmingly black and Latino people,” Booker said.