WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Cory Booker on Friday declared his bid for the presidency in 2020 with a call to unite a deeply polarized nation around a "common purpose."
The New Jersey Democrat is the second black candidate in a primary field that's already historically diverse.
In a video message to supporters, Booker said he believes "we can build a country where no one is forgotten, no one is left behind."
Booker enters what's shaping up to be a crowded presidential primary, with three of his fellow Democratic senators — Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York — already either declared or exploring a run. But he's spent months telegraphing his intentions to join the race, visiting the early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina to build connections with key powerbrokers. He already has slated trips back to those states later this month.
Booker began reaching out to key constituencies Friday, conducting call-in interviews with three radio shows popular with black and Hispanic listeners. Later on Friday, Booker will be a guest on "The View," a TV talk show popular with female viewers, where his mother plans to sit in the audience.
A former mayor of Newark, New Jersey's largest city, Booker won a special Senate election in 2013 to replace Democrat Frank Lautenberg and then won a full Senate term in 2014. He will be able to run for a second full Senate term in 2020 while running for president, thanks to a law that New Jersey's governor signed in November.