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Garden State

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 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 10/22/12 12:48pm

Garden State

A gas station sign displaying the reduced-price $1.84 gallon gas at the AFP event in Ohio earlier this month. (Photo: Facebook)

Koch-Funded Group Selling Cheap, Anti-Obama Gas in Jersey

Americans for Prosperity, the activist group founded by the billionaire Koch Brothers, is taking its “Obama’s Failing Agenda” bus tour to New Jersey this week where it will help purchase gas for motorists at the Holland Tunnel to “draw attention to President Obama’s failing energy policies.” On Thursday, AFP will set up shop at an Exxon Station near the entrance to the tunnel where it will be reducing gas prices to $1.84 a gallon, which a press release for the event said is “the cost of gas four years ago right around the time President Obama took office.”

“Our event will help New Jerseyans get around this week and remind them of the need for sound energy policies that create jobs and lower our energy prices,” AFP New Jersey Director Steve Lonegan said in a press release announcing the promotion. “We will educate Americans on the most harmful aspects of President Obama’s big-government agenda, and help put grassroots pressure on politicians to turn away from these destructive policies.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 8/08/12 6:33pm

Garden State

Mitt Romney (Photo: Getty)

Romney Motorcade Mobbed by Orthodox Jewish Wedding Guests

Mitt Romney’s motorcade ran into an interesting obstacle before a fundraiser this evening in Lakewood, N.J. Lake Terrace, the venue for Mr. Romney’s event, was also being used by an Orthodox Jewish wedding party and, according to a pool report filed by Yahoo’s Holly Bailey, the guests at the nuptials became rather excited when Mr. Romney’s motorcade arrived.

“As we turned into Lake Terrace, the motorcade drove past an Orthodox Jewish wedding party that had been posing for pictures outside. Immediately, the family abandoned the bride and groom and began chasing Romney’s car in the parking lot, waving cameras,” Ms. Bailey wrote. Read More

By Hunter Walker 6/29/12 11:37am

Garden State

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach (Photo: YouTube)

Rabbi Shmuley Donates $250 To His Opponent In The Hopes Of Securing a ‘Dinner Date’

Author, spiritual guru to the stars and New Jersey Republican congressional candidate Shmuley Boteach gave a $250 donation to his Democratic opponent, Congressman Bill Pascrell, because he wants them to have a Shabbat “dinner date.” together. In a statement announcing his donation to his rival, Mr. Boteach explained he made the contribution to get Mr. Pascrell’s attention after several unsuccessful attempts to arrange a meal together.

“I’m beginning to feel like the woman who is promised an engagement ring but can never get a wedding date. The Congressman is a very busy man. So I have elected to send a $250 donation to his campaign in the hope that it might attract his attention and we can finally confirm our dinner date,” Mr. Boteach said.  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

By Hunter Walker 6/01/12 11:43am

Garden State

President Obama and Steve Rothman (Photo: RothmanForNewJersey.com)

Clinton And Obama Face Off In Jersey Congressional Race

Former president Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama are taking opposite sides in a heated New Jersey congressional race between two incumbent Democratic congressmen–Steve Rothman and Bill Pascrell. President Clinton is traveling to Paterson tonight to appear at a rally for Mr. Pascrell and, this morning, President Obama invited Mr. Rothman to a private meeting in the Oval Office where he expressed support for his campaign.

“President Obama asked me to come to the Oval Office today so that everyone will know that he supports me and wants me to help him with his agenda in his second term, as I have in his first,” Mr. Rothman said in a statement. “I sincerely appreciate President Obama’s support at this crucial time. It means the world to me to have him take the time out to speak with me this morning.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 5/30/12 5:59pm

Garden State

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach (Photo: YouTube)

Rabbi Shmuley Offers To Mediate Dispute Between His Potential Opponents [Video]

Author, spiritual guru to the stars and Republican congressional candidate Shmuley Boteach says he wants to help his potential Democratic opponents who are currently embroiled in a nasty attack ad-filled primary battle. Mr. Boteach released a YouTube video today that appears to have been filmed in his living room in which he offered to help make peace between Steve Rothman and Bill Pascrell.

Messrs. Rothman and Pascrell are both current congressman and former friends who are running against each other after the redistricting process left Mr. Rothman with an unfavorable district. Mr. Boteach thinks he can help them “reduce the tensions that have totally overtaken their congressional race.”

“I hosted a TV show on TLC called Shalom In The Home where I actually mediated families across the country creating greater harmony,” Mr. Boteach says in his video. “I want to offer my services to congressmen Rothman and Pascrell to try to bring a more civil tone to their campaign.” Read More