By Hunter Walker and Colin Campbell 3/21 11:02am

Escape From New York

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Charles Barron Making Mayoral Endorsements Far From Home

Outspoken Councilman Charles Barron is backing John Liu in the New York City mayoral election this year and he’s also getting involved in races out of state. On Tuesday, Mr. Barron served on the host committee of a Soho fundraiser for Chokwe Lumumba, who is running for mayor in Jackson Mississippi. Mr. Lumumba is an attorney and City Council member whom Mr. Barron said he has known for years through their work in activist circles.

“Chokwe Lumumba is a long-time friend and freedom fighter,” Mr. Barron told Politicker at a forum on stop-and-frisk last night in Brooklyn. “He got elected to the City Council in Jackson, Mississippi, which is, you know, a majority-black population town. There’s seven Council Members. So it’s good to see black, strong, conscious people getting involved in the electoral arena. And [when] he becomes mayor of Jackson Mississippi–that’s going to be a historic moment.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 12/20/12 1:07pm

Garden State

Cory Booker (Photo: Getty)

Cory Booker Plans to ‘Explore’ Senate Bid

Earlier this month, Newark Mayor Cory Booker said he would decide whether to run for governor of New Jersey or the Senate seat currently occupied by 88-year-old Democrat Frank Lautenberg by this weekend. Initial speculation had Mr. Booker set to challenge incumbent Republican Governor Chris Christie, however in the past week, there were mounting rumors Mr. Booker would instead run for Senate including one from our sister site PolitickerNJ that directly proceeded the mayor’s announcement. Mr. Booker finally made it official with a statement and video released to his approximately 1.3 million Twitter followers this morning in which he revealed he will finish out his second term in Newark rather than getting involved in the governor’s race and will “explore” running for Mr. Lautenberg’s seat in 2014.

“Let there be no doubt, I will complete my full second term as mayor,” said Mr. Booker in his statement. “As for my political future, I will explore the possibility of running for The United States Senate in 2014.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 12/18/12 3:00pm

Garden State

Cory Booker (Photo: YouTube)

Cory Booker Is Keeping His Options Open Online

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Newark Mayor Cory Booker is now considering a 2014 run for the Senate seat currently occupied by 88-year-old Frank Lautenberg after mounting speculation he would challenge incumbent New Jersey Governor Chris Christie next year. On the internet, a close advisor to Mr. Booker has prepped for both a gubernatorial campaign and Senate bid. Records show Mr. Booker’s fundraising advisor and former City Hall staffer Bari Mattes has purchased the web domains for both “BookerForSenate” and BookerForGovernor.

Update (3:48 p.m.): Ms. Mattes has also registered “CoryBookerForPresident.com.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 12/06/12 1:14pm

Intervention

(Photo: Getty)

Cory Booker: ‘I May Have to Be Hospitalized With Caffeine Withdrawal’

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, known for single-handedly protecting constituents from burning flames, blizzard obstructions and crime, is currently attempting to live on a limited budget to better understand how food stamp recipients live their day-to-day lives. It may be the so-called “super mayor’s” most difficult feat yet. Why? “Caffeine withdrawal.”

“You make tough choices,” Mr. Booker explained after his first day under the self-imposed budgetary restrictions. “The tough choice I have to live with this week is that I used my money to buy a lot of different things, but not caffeine. So I’m going to go this week without coffee, without Diet Pepsi, Diet Coke, which is going to be the first week of my life I can ever actually remember doing that.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 11/02/12 12:28pm

Garden State

Cory Booker hanging out with his hurricane house guests. (Photo: Alice Bell/Twitter)

Inside Cory Booker’s Hurricane Sandy Slumber Party

Newark Mayor Cory Booker opened his home yesterday to over a dozen of his neighbors who were left without power by Hurricane Sandy. Alice Bell, who took refuge after the storm at the mayor’s house, talked to Politicker this morning and described the slumber party-like scene inside Mr. Booker’s home and what it meant to the people who stayed there.

“It meant–I can’t even explain,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “I mean, we were–I’m still overwhelmed that he would reach out to us like that, you know, that we meant that much that he actually invited the whole block.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 11/01/12 2:27pm

Garden State

cory booker tom brokaw

Cory Booker Lets Sandy Victims Hang Out at His House

Newark Mayor Cory Booker has earned the nickname “supermayor” for rushing into a burning building to save a woman from a fire last April and regularly using Twitter to personally solve the problems of his constituents. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Booker is living up to this reputation by allowing at least one person affected from the storm to take refuge in his home and enjoy his power outlets and “working DVD player.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 6/14/12 9:00am

Zombies

Cory Booker (Photo: Getty)

RNC Spokesman Says The Obama Campaign Brought Cory Booker ‘Back From The ‘Dead”

Newark Mayor Cory Booker says the fact he’s co-hosting a fundraiser for President Barack Obama tonight should prove rumors he somehow split from the president’s re-election campaign were greatly exagerrated, but the RNC says it’s just a sign the campaign is desperate after a month where Mitt Romney raised over $16 million more than the president.

“It looks like the Obama Campaign has to bring Mayor Booker back from the ‘dead’ to raise money after a terrible month where the President’s fundraising lagged and he declared to millions of unemployed Americans that ‘the private sector is doing fine,’” RNC Regional Press Secretary Ted Kwong told The Politicker. Read More

By Hunter Walker 6/13/12 6:17pm

Garden State

Cory Booker (Photo: YouTube)

Cory Booker Says Rumors He Broke With The Obama Campaign Were Greatly Exaggerated

Newark Mayor Cory Booker is co-hosting a fundraiser for President Barack Obama at The Plaza Hotel tomorrow and he hopes it will lay to rest once and for all any impression he somehow defected from the president’s re-election effort after his comments he was “nauseated” by the Obama campaign’s attacks on Mitt Romney’s tenure at Bain Capital. The Politicker reached out to Mr. Booker to ask whether he believed the fundraiser would put to rest persistent chatter in the New York Post and elsewhere that the Bain brouhaha signified a break between him and President Obama. His response was emphatic.

“Since when do you all at NY Observer give so much credence to the Post on chatter? I’m giving speeches around the country for the party, I’m co-chair for the DNC Platform committee, I’m fund-raising for the campaign, hosting Thursday’s event and more,” Mr. Booker wrote. “Draw your own conclusions.” Read More