NJ’s Cory Booker Endorses Joe Biden For President

NEWARK, NJ — To win the 2020 election, Democrats need a candidate who understands that the way to beat President Donald Trump is to “bring people together.” This was the pitch from U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey as he rallied behind former Vice President Joe Biden.

On Monday, Booker endorsed his fellow Democratic Party member for president after spending several months campaigning against him. The senator, who has a home in Newark and formerly served as the city’s mayor, ended his presidential bid in January.

“A little more than a year ago, I entered the race for president because I believe to my core that Americans share a common pain that must be met with a renewed sense of common purpose -- because in America, the only way we make change real is when people join together, struggle together, and work together,” Booker wrote.

“While I’m no longer running for president, I still know that to win, Democrats need a nominee who understands that the way to beat Donald Trump is to bring people together,” Booker continued. “In this moral moment, our country needs a president who recognizes that the lines that divide us are nowhere near as strong as the ties that bind us.”

The senator from New Jersey has also criticized the lack of diversity among this year's candidates, however, at one point remarking that there were "more billionaires than black people" running for president.

• See related article: More Billionaires Than Black People Running For Prez, Cory Booker Warns

After ending his own campaign, Booker has offered praise for others whose 2020 presidential aspirations fell short of the mark.

But the senator’s endorsement on Monday was his first for a candidate still in the race. Here’s what he had to say about Biden:

“Joe is building the kind of campaign we need to win -- a campaign based on shared values, built by the kinds of multi-racial, multi-ethnic coalitions that have always been at the backbone of every movement for progress in our history. Joe is building the kind of campaign that will do more than remove one guy from one office. He will lead the Democratic Party to victory in races up and down the ballot across the country this November. Because Joe Biden understands that beating Donald Trump is the floor, it is not the ceiling. Joe is the type of leader our party and our country needs right now -- someone who can and will unite us in common purpose not just to win an election, but to take on our biggest challenges as Americans and to heal… This is a fight for the soul of our country -- and Joe Biden is going to win it.”

Booker is facing re-election for his Senate seat in 2020. One of his opponents, longtime Newark activist Larry Hamm, is a strong supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the other frontrunner for the Democratic Party nomination.

• See related article: NJ's Cory Booker Preps For Senate Election; Candidate Field Grows
• See related article: Sanders, Biden Mount Attacks As Head-To-Head Race Takes Shape

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.