Cory Booker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cory Booker
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Official portrait, 2025
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| United States Senator from New Jersey |
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| Assumed office October 31, 2013 Serving with Andy Kim
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| Preceded by | Jeffrey Chiesa |
| Chair of the Senate Democratic Strategic Communications Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 |
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| Leader | Chuck Schumer |
| Vice Chair | Tina Smith |
| Preceded by | Debbie Stabenow (Policy and Communications) |
| 38th Mayor of Newark | |
| In office July 1, 2006 – October 31, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Sharpe James |
| Succeeded by | Luis Quintana |
| Member of the Newark Municipal Council from the Central Ward |
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| In office July 1, 1998 – June 30, 2002 |
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| Preceded by | George Branch |
| Succeeded by | Charles Bell |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Cory Anthony Booker
April 27, 1969 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Stanford University (BA, MA) Queen's College, Oxford (MA) Yale University (JD) |
| Signature |  |
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| College football career | |
| Stanford Cardinal – No. 81 | |
| Position | Tight end |
| Class | 1991 |
| Major | Political science |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career history | |
| High school | Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician. He is currently a U.S. Senator for New Jersey, a role he has held since 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Booker is the first African-American U.S. Senator from New Jersey.
Before becoming a senator, Booker was the 38th Mayor of Newark from 2006 to 2013. He also served on the Municipal Council of Newark from 1998 to 2002.
Booker grew up in New Jersey and attended Stanford University, Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and Yale Law School. Early in his career, he staged a 10-day hunger strike to highlight issues in Newark. He was elected mayor in 2006. During his time as mayor, he worked to reduce crime and improve housing.
In 2013, Booker was elected to the U.S. Senate. He has worked on laws to support women's rights, affirmative action, and same-sex marriage. He also focuses on economic fairness and criminal justice reform. In 2020, he ran for president. In 2025, he gave the longest speech in U.S. Senate history, lasting over 25 hours.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Booker was born in Washington, D.C.. He grew up in Harrington Park, New Jersey. His parents, Carolyn Rose and Cary Alfred Booker, were among the first Black executives at IBM. Booker has said his family was religious and attended an African Methodist Episcopal Church.
He went to Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan. There, he played varsity football. He was even named to the 1986 USA Today All-USA high school football team.
Booker then attended Stanford University. He earned a degree in political science in 1991 and a master's degree in sociology in 1992. He played football as a tight end for Stanford. He was also elected senior class president.
After Stanford, Booker received a Rhodes Scholarship. This allowed him to study at The Queen's College, Oxford in England. He earned a degree in United States history in 1994. Later, he earned his law degree from Yale Law School in 1997. While at Yale, he helped run free legal clinics for people who couldn't afford lawyers.
Municipal Council of Newark
After law school, Booker moved to Newark. He worked for the Urban Justice Center and the Newark Youth Project. In 1998, he won a seat on the Municipal Council of Newark. This was a surprise victory against a long-serving council member.
He also suggested new ideas for housing, youth programs, and making City Hall more open.
Mayor of Newark
Mayoral Campaigns
2002 Election
In 2002, Booker decided to run for mayor of Newark. He ran against the current mayor, Sharpe James. James had been mayor for a long time. The campaign was very competitive. Booker lost this election, getting 47% of the votes. The documentary Street Fight tells the story of this election.
During this time, Booker started a non-profit group called Newark Now.
2006 Election
Booker ran for mayor again in 2006. The previous mayor decided not to run again. Booker won the election with 72% of the votes. His team of city council candidates also won, giving him strong support in the city government.
2010 Election
In 2010, Booker ran for reelection as mayor. He won again with 59% of the votes.
Mayor's Work in Newark
Booker became mayor of Newark on July 1, 2006. One of his main goals was to lower the city's crime rate. He hired Garry McCarthy to lead the Newark Police Department. Booker and his security team sometimes patrolled the streets themselves late at night.
Booker was part of a group called "Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition." This group works to make communities safer by removing illegal guns. During his time as mayor, crime in Newark went down a lot between 2006 and 2008. In March 2010, Newark had its first month without any murders in over 44 years.
He also worked to increase affordable housing and reduce the city's budget problems. Booker even lowered his own salary twice. He also held regular "open office hours" so people could meet with him and share their concerns.
In 2010, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg donated $100 million to the Newark school system. This gift was announced on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Booker gained national attention in December 2010. A person on Twitter asked him for help shoveling snow for her elderly father. Booker replied, "I will do it myself; where does he live?" He then showed up with volunteers to shovel the driveway.
Second Term as Mayor
In April 2012, Booker saved a woman from a house fire. He suffered smoke inhalation and burns on his hands. The Newark Fire Chief said Booker's actions likely saved the woman's life.
After Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012, Booker invited Newark residents who lost power to stay and eat at his home. He also helped rescue dogs from cold weather and abandonment.
In December 2012, Booker tried living on a food budget of $30 per week. This was the amount New Jersey paid to people receiving food stamps. He wanted to show how many Americans rely on food assistance to survive.
U.S. Senate
Senate Elections
2013 Special Election
In 2012, Booker announced he was thinking about running for the United States Senate. After Senator Frank Lautenberg passed away in June 2013, Booker decided to run for the open seat in a special election.
On August 13, 2013, Booker won the Democratic primary election. On October 16, he won the general election against Republican Steve Lonegan. He became the first African-American U.S. Senator from New Jersey.
Booker left his job as mayor of Newark on October 30, 2013. He was sworn in as a U.S. Senator the next day.
2014 Election
Booker ran for reelection in 2014. He won against Republican Jeff Bell with 55.8% of the votes.
2020 Election
In his reelection campaign in 2020, Booker ran against Republican Rik Mehta. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most votes were cast by mail. Booker won the election with 57% of the votes.
Senator's Work
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As a senator, Booker has worked on many important issues. In 2013, he supported a law to prevent discrimination in the workplace. He also supported tougher rules against Iran. In 2014, he helped introduce a law to protect same-sex marriage.
Booker has focused on finding common ground with other senators. He even had dinner with Senator Ted Cruz to discuss working together.
Before the 2016 presidential election, Booker supported Hillary Clinton. After the election, he spoke out against Jeff Sessions during his hearing to become Attorney General. This was the first time a sitting senator testified against another senator during a cabinet confirmation hearing.
Booker also supported fellow New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez when he faced legal issues. Booker became New Jersey's senior senator after Menendez resigned on August 20, 2024.
In 2018, Booker helped introduce a law to limit the President's ability to fire a special investigator. This law would allow a special investigator to have their dismissal reviewed quickly by a judge.
During the 2018 hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Booker released some "committee confidential" emails. These emails discussed racial profiling after the 9/11 attacks. Booker said he was willing to face consequences for releasing them.
Booker played a key role in passing the First Step Act. This is a law that reforms the criminal justice system.
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On January 6, 2021, Booker was at the U.S. Capitol when supporters of President Trump stormed the building. Booker and other senators were evacuated. He blamed Trump for causing the attack.
On March 31, 2025, Booker began a very long speech in the Senate. He spoke for 25 hours and five minutes. This was the longest speech in U.S. Senate history. He said he was speaking to highlight important issues and to stand for what he believed in.
Committee Assignments
Booker serves on several important Senate committees:
- Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Committee on Foreign Relations
- Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
- Committee on the Judiciary
Caucus Memberships
He is also part of several groups of lawmakers:
- Black Maternal Health Caucus
- Congressional Black Caucus
- Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus
2020 Presidential Campaign
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On February 1, 2019, Cory Booker announced he was running for President of the United States in the 2020 election. Many people had expected him to run.
Within a month of his announcement, many Democratic leaders from New Jersey supported his campaign. He held a big campaign event in Newark on April 13. Booker participated in the first five Democratic presidential debates. However, he did not meet the requirements to be in the sixth debate in December 2019.
On January 13, 2020, Booker announced that he was ending his campaign. In March 2020, he supported Joe Biden for president.
Political Views
Booker is known as a liberal and progressive Democrat. He has a liberal voting record in the Senate. He has said there is "nothing in that realm of progressive politics where you won't find me."
Booker supports efforts to reduce the national debt and fight climate change. He also supports more funding for education. He has spoken about creating a federal job guarantee and "baby bonds," which are savings accounts for children that they can access at age 18.
In the Senate, he focuses on issues of racial and social justice. He helped pass the First Step Act, a bill to reform the criminal justice system. He supports ending the "war on drugs".
Booker also supports LGBTQ+ rights, voting for the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022. He supports a single-payer health care plan, which he calls "Medicare for All."
Booker supports a two-state solution for the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. He believes Iran is a threat to U.S. and Israeli security.
Other Activities
Affiliations and Honors
Booker is on the board of advisers for Democrats for Education Reform. He is also a member of the board of trustees at Teachers College, Columbia University. He used to be on the board at Yale Law School and Stanford University.
In 2010, Booker received the U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Public Service. He has also received several honorary degrees from universities for his work in public service and for helping to improve Newark.
Films
Filmmaker Marshall Curry made a documentary about Booker's 2002 mayoral campaign called Street Fight. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2005.
Since 2009, Booker has been featured in the documentary series Brick City. This series shows his efforts to improve Newark by reducing crime and helping the economy. Brick City won a Peabody Award in 2009.
Booker also appeared in the 2011 documentary Miss Representation. He talked about how women in politics are shown in the media. He also appeared in an episode of the TV show Parks and Recreation in 2015. In 2024, he was in the Netflix documentary You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment.
Book
In 2016, Booker wrote his autobiography called United: Thoughts on Finding Common Ground and Advancing the Common Good. The book talks about how important it is for people to work together and focus on important issues.
Personal Life
Booker exercises regularly. He has been a vegetarian since 1992 and became a vegan in 2014. He attends the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Newark.
From 1998 to 2006, Booker lived in a housing complex in Newark called Brick Towers. He later moved to another neighborhood in Newark. Since 2013, he has lived in a townhouse in the Lincoln Park area of Newark.
Booker speaks Spanish. He learned it during a program in Ecuador. In 2020, he learned that he and entertainer RuPaul are cousins after they both appeared on the TV show Finding Your Roots.
See also
In Spanish: Cory Booker para niños
