Charles Booker (American politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Booker
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| Director of Kentucky's Office of Faith-Based Initiatives and Community Involvement | |
| Assumed office January 13, 2023 |
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| Governor | Andy Beshear |
| Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from the 43rd district |
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| In office January 1, 2019 – January 1, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Darryl Owens |
| Succeeded by | Pamela Stevenson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 20, 1984 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Tanesha Booker |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Louisville (BS, JD) |
Charles Booker (born October 20, 1984) is an American politician from Kentucky. A politician is someone who works in government. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021. He represented the 43rd district. During this time, he was the youngest Black state lawmaker in Kentucky.
Booker ran for the United States Senate in 2020 and 2022. He was the first African American to be a major party candidate for U.S. Senate in Kentucky. After his 2022 campaign, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear appointed him to lead the Governor's Office of Faith-Based Initiatives and Community Involvement. This office helps connect faith groups and communities with government programs.
Contents
Early Life and School
Charles Booker was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on October 20, 1984. His parents had to leave high school early to care for their younger brothers and sisters. Charles graduated from Louisville Male High School. He then went to the University of Louisville. There, he earned two degrees. He got a Bachelor of Science in political science. He also earned a Juris Doctor, which is a law degree.
His Career Journey
After college, Booker worked for the Legislative Research Commission. This group helps lawmakers with research. In 2014, he was let go because he appeared in a campaign video. This was against a rule about staff taking part in political campaigns.
Later, he worked for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. He also worked for West Louisville FoodPort. In 2016, he ran for a seat in the Kentucky Senate. He did not win that election.
In 2018, Charles Booker ran for the Kentucky House of Representatives. The person who held the seat before him, Darryl Owens, was retiring. Booker won the Democratic nomination. He then won the general election. He became the representative for the 43rd district. As a state representative, Booker worked on important committees. These included committees for economic development, justice, and natural resources.
Running for U.S. Senate
Campaigns in 2020 and 2022
In 2020, Charles Booker decided to run for the United States Senate. This is a big national election. He wanted to represent Kentucky in the U.S. Senate. His campaign focused on several key ideas. He supported universal health care, which means everyone has access to medical care. He also backed a Green New Deal. This plan aims to fight climate change and create new jobs. He also supported changes to the justice system and universal basic income. Universal basic income is a plan to give everyone a regular payment to help with living costs.
Booker's campaign gained a lot of support from everyday people. He said that most of his donations came from small amounts of money. Many important people and groups supported him. These included U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Even Kentucky's largest newspapers supported him.
The 2020 race was very close. Booker lost to Amy McGrath. After the election, Booker shared a message. He told people to never give up on their dreams. He said that everyone matters, no matter who they are. He encouraged people to keep fighting for change.
In 2021, Booker announced he would run for the U.S. Senate again in 2022. He won the Democratic primary election. This meant he was the main candidate for his party. However, he lost the general election to the current Republican Senator, Rand Paul. Even though he didn't win, Charles Booker made history. He was the first African American to be a major party candidate for U.S. Senate in Kentucky.
What Charles Booker Believes In
Charles Booker is known as a progressive politician. This means he supports ideas that aim to improve society. He believes in reparations for slavery. This is about making up for the harm caused by slavery. He also supports Medicare for All, which would create a single health insurance system for everyone.
He wants to make changes to the justice system. He also supports universal basic income. This idea suggests that everyone should receive a regular payment from the government. Booker also strongly supports a Green New Deal. This plan focuses on using clean energy. It also aims to build new infrastructure that relies on renewable sources. He was a big supporter of Bernie Sanders when Sanders ran for president.
His Personal Life
Charles Booker is married to Tanesha. They have three daughters together. Booker has type 1 diabetes. He has shared that he sometimes had to limit his insulin when he was younger. This was because it was very expensive. This experience shows why he cares about healthcare access. He is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi. This is a historically Black college fraternity.
Images for kids
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Charles Booker with solar panels.
