Sen. Booker mulls 2020 in N.H. visit
MANCHESTER, N.H. — U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, returning to the first-in-the-nation primary state yesterday for a two-day trip that could turn out to be a tuneup for the New Jersey Democrat’s potential presidential campaign, said the visit leaves him “a lot more confident in making decisions going forward.” Booker was invited by the New Hampshire Democratic Party to headline its post-midterm election “victory celebration” in Manchester. But the likely presidential contender was also the main attraction at a house party with activists in Nashua, at the home of longtime former state Sen. Bette Lasky. He’ll also be the guest of honor at house parties in Concord and today in Keene. Booker, who’s said in recent weeks that he’ll take the holiday season to assess whether to run for the White House in 2020, told The Associated Press that the trip is “really helpful to me in understanding what a potential presidential campaign would be about.” He added that coming to New Hampshire makes “me feel a lot more centered, a lot more grounded, and a lot more confident in making decisions going forward.” Booker said he had “no specific timeline” to make a presidential campaign announcement. He said he first wants to get through the lame duck congressional session, in which he’s one of the leaders trying to pass bipartisan justice reform legislation. After that, he said, “I really need to sit down, take a deep breath, and really focus on my sense of purpose.”