The lack of love here for Cory Booker is a bit surprising.

[madaboutharry]

I’ll start off saying that I support Senator Harris and have signed up and donated to her campaign. But there is some really icy water getting thrown Senator Booker’s way that kind of surprises me.

[hlthe2b]

1. Yes.. I agree. I too am leaning toward other candidates, including Harris, but am a bit suprised...

[we can do it]

2. I really like Cory, I just like Kamala and Elizabeth more.

Just no BS please.

[uponit7771]

41. +1, to all ... If Ted Lieu is able to run I'm throwing all of them to the curb :-)

[Vinca]

3. ???? I can only see 1 thread with 6 replies. That's not exactly a tidal wave.

[Mars and Minerva]

4. This is going to be a long primary.

We have to wait and see how things are looking next year at this time.

[Clash City Rocker]

5. He's moderate enough that he might win, therefore we must hate him!

Cory is brilliant and a fighter. He’ll probably get my vote.

[NewJeffCT]

10. moderate enough?

he's got one of the more liberal voting records in the senate.

[bearsfootball516]

6. I could be wrong but I think he has some ties to wall street and pharmaceuticals that could hurt him

Nevertheless, I really like him. It's going to be between him and Kamala for me.

[crazycatlady]

8. He represents a state where many people work for Wall street and Pharma

[NewJeffCT]

11. a reliably blue state

as well.

[Loki Liesmith]

7. I'm a Booker partisan

He’s got the charisma needed to win.

[genxlib]

9. I agree

I have been a fan of Cory for a long time. It is early yet and I am open to all campaigns but he is my favorite going in.

I think he has a great back story and resume. Stanford academic all-american football player, Rhodes scholar, Yale law is the kind of education that a screenwriter draws up and wonders if he went too far. He also has some very compelling stories of of community response including actually saving a woman from a house fire. Again screenplay bordering on the absurd for a politician if it weren't actually real life.

I find him to be a compelling communicator and I think that is the single most important trait for getting elected. He has the ability to talk with compassion about love and kindness at times and then get worked up with righteous anger at other times. I don't think it is fair to compare him to Obama but I do think he is the closest thing we have going in current politics.

I think the resistance to him stems from a perception that he is soft on Wall Street. I think it remains to be seen how this plays out but I personally am not overly concerned about that.

I will finish with the obligatory statement that I will support anyone that we nominate in the primary.

[DeminPennswoods]

12. No offense to any declared candidate, but

I wish they would stay in the Senate and just do their jobs for the next year or so. Try and have some legislative accomplishments and learn more about the intracacies of federal programs instead of spending every moment of spare time in Iowa, NH or wherever.

[marble falls]

14. I agree 100%. We need these talented, young, vibrant people in the Senate and House.

[NurseJackie]

13. I like him.

The lack of love here for Cory Booker is a bit surprising.

I like him.

But there is some really icy water getting thrown Senator Booker’s way that kind of surprises me.

Consider the source/s. It's likely to be based on a perception that Booker represents a threat to their preferred candidate.

[mcar]

21. Yep

[Polly Hennessey]

29. Yes. I found that out.

I am not a fan of Gillibrand and did I get dumped on. Just because we are not enthusiastic about a candidate does make us an enemy.

[NurseJackie]

31. ...

[BeyondGeography]

15. He stood up for Bain Capital in the 2012 election

Still trying to figure out an acceptable reason why. Meantime, it has become ever clearer that we can’t both be friends with money and fix the issues that ail our country. Reality has moved away from Booker and he has had a hard time keeping up. He’s a good man, just not right for the times IMO.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

16. Right now, I'm leaning "Harris", but Booker would be fine as prez.

As would Brown, Biden, Clinton, etc, etc. I see a bunch of good potential presidents in the mix. It will be tough to vote for only one in the primary.

[Chakaconcarne]

17. Yeah, DU is going to become a mess when primary season starts to really kick off

Just with 2 candidates in the primary, people were at each other's throats.

[BBG]

18. Actually 2 candidates made for more polarization

But with a larger crowd of candidates we should see more diffusion of camps and less “this way or that way”. We should benefit from a veritable rainbow of candidacies, positions and policies.

[Hortensis]

19. He's just not shiny and new anymore, nor Elizabeth Warren

just for another instance. It's not just the media who only want to write about exiting new stuff, people here look for it also.

Notably, it's too early for the electorate's involvement. A couple hundred million voters really aren't paying much attention yet, if at all. DU's various new passions over such passing duds as Michael Avenati and genuine rising stars like Kamala Harris aren't exactly typical.

As for our boring old candidates, they're all busy using their advantages to develop powerful, well run, adequately funded, start-up enterprises that will eventually launch them anew as what they hope will eventually be a single, billion-dollar product we'll all be talking about.

Personally, I'd prefer none of them showed up until about April 2020. Two years is 1-1/2 too many.

[mcar]

20. Same old tired tropes

I am reserving judgment on all candidates at the present, but I like Booker.

[zipplewrath]

22. Going to be a generational change

There is a shift going on in politics, and it is especially going to influence the democratic party. The boomer generation is leaving and the next generation is taking over. There is a tendency to see a shift in emphasis on issues. Politicians from the end of the previous generation can get caught in the shift, mostly being seen as a hold over with baggage. There is a certain unfairness in this, but none the less it is something with which one must deal.

There is a certain small segment that feels like the shift is in their direction and that they had alot of success in the last election. They want to see it keep moving in that direction and they are collecting their own champions. If one is seen as a "past champion", it can work against them with that crowd.

[oberliner]

23. He is awesome

Great launch - he'll be formidable for sure.

Another really strong addition to the slate!

[ismnotwasm]

24. I think some of us are trying to put our support down early

I am excited for Kamala, but I could get behind Booker as well.

[Autumn]

25. We should and do support Democrats. We don't have to love them, get excited about them

or overlook any faults that we may see in them and want to discuss. We just have to vote for them in the end, Democrats aren't one size fits all.

[Celerity]

26. He is absolutely on my list of possible candidates I am considering

[RandySF]

27. Nothing against Cory

Kamala and Elizabeth are my one and two among the declared candidates.

[lark]

28. When there's so many good candidates, it's difficult for all to catch fire.

I don't dislike him, just don't trust him when it comes to big Pharma and trust a number of the others more, like Warren, Harris, Castro and Biden (even though he hasn't declared yet). However, I will vote for whoever is the General Candidate with a D behind their name and would have no issues voting for Booker. I'd rather vote for him than Gillibrand any day. I am really open at this time to seeing what all these candidates really stand for, what policies they are putting forward, how they handle adversity, etc. etc.

Can't wait for the debates to start.

[FSogol]

30. He's in my top 5. I would encourage everyone to hold back on getting really commited.

see how the candidates run, see what issues they highlight, see what plans they promote, see what other leaders support them, see what kind of traction their campaign gains. No need to rush in making a decision.

[Faux pas]

32. I don't support those

who are supported by wall street. That's not hard to understand, is it?

[SharonClark]

33. He's in my top 2 at the moment.

Harris is #1.

[MyOwnPeace]

34. I'm pleased he's in........

could be another great candidate. My primary concern about him comes from his history as mayor and involvement in the school situation in Newark. He supported programs that ran contrary to the public school system and was involved with using big money to help charter and private/for profit schools in Newark.

He may have evolved from that stance but it does leave me with concerns about his support for public education, much like I had with President Obama (perhaps my biggest disappointment with his educational programs and Arne Duncan).

[delisen]

35. I think Pelosi's actions has raised the bar.

I expect both Chris Christie, and Mark Zuckerberg will support Booker's candidacy, as well as the anti-public school movement, and the pharmaceutical industry.

I see Booker as someone who sounds very liberal but in practice is very conservative. I doubt he will be strong enough for what we are facing.

The passionate speeches are not enough for me. I want see real commitment, facts.

[lostnfound]

36. I love him, so many great candidates

My first pick might be Klobuchar and second might be Cory...but it might be Kamala..

[msongs]

37. so what's he got worth loving beyond generic democrat? nt

[crazycatlady]

38. I've met (then mayor) Booker a few times

One thing I will say about him is that his charisma rivals Obama's.

[George II]

39. Of all the candidates who have announced so far or will be announcing, the top two for me...

....are Kamala Harris and Cory Booker.

There's a long way to go - there will be campaign stops, rallies, and debates. Some of the candidates we really know little about right now, but these two look to be the most down to earth, "normal" human beings.

And there are some that I definitely don't think should be in the race.

[uponit7771]

40. ?!?!? Been lurking most of the day, could you point to the ice? tia