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(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
BY JIM FLINK
ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN
Newark, New Jersey Democratic Mayor Cory Booker won’t be running for Governor in 2014. But
he’ll explore a run for Senate instead.
VIA MSNBC: “He will not challenge New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. … He will instead
run for Frank Lautenberg’s Senate seat in 2014.”
It had been widely speculated the popular Democratic Newark Mayor would run against
the popular Republican Governor Chris Christie in 2014. The Washington Post’s Sean Sullivan
describes the two as “friendly rivals.”
Politic365 says Booker’s decision boils down to common sense.
“Now that Chris Christie has become the most popular governor in the Universe a smart
guy like Mayor Booker knows that challenging Christie for the Governor’s mansion would
be stupid, especially when a Senate seat would be a much easier race.”
Easier yes. And shrewd. Booker faced the prospect of challenging the most popular Republican
Governor in America. Booker knows that. Here he is on CNN with John King early in December.
“Governor Chris Christie is a friend... I’m happy to have a Governor who’s standing
up and saying, ‘hey, wait a minute, we have real national problems here that we’re not
talking about... So Chris Christie and I have formed a partnership around finding solutions...”
Some political pundits are disappointed today. Slate notes, a Booker-Christie showdown had
all the appeal of a Pacquiao-Marquez title fight.
“But the prospects of that high-profile battle dimmed, and then ultimately disappeared,
in large part thanks to Christie's astronomically high approval ratings in the wake of Hurricane
Sandy.”
So now, instead of two-party donnybrook, Booker faces the prospect of unseating the legendary
Democrat Frank Lautenberg, who has already indicated he might run again -- at the age
of 90 in 2014.
Lest you think that’s any easier, Politico notes...
“A Lautenberg versus Booker primary battle would likely be expensive. Lautenberg is one
of the most wealthy members of the Senate and has been campaigning, and fundraising,
for decades now.”