Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey says that a woman will be included on his party’s 2020 White House ticket.
“I am very confident that this election, we will make history, because no matter what, I’m looking you in the eye and saying this, there will be a woman on the ticket. I don’t know if it’s in the vice president’s position or the president’s position,” Booker predicted Friday morning at a campaign event in Lebanon.
“If I have my way, there will be a woman on the ticket,” Booker added, as he all but pledged to name a female as his running mate if he wins the Democratic presidential nomination.
The ever-increasing field of Democratic contenders includes a number of women.
They are Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, as well as Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and bestselling spiritual author Marianne Williamson.
In 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first presidential nominee of a major political party in this country. Then-representative Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 became the first major party vice presidential nominee.
Booker’s jam-packed 24 hours in N.H.Booker arrived in the Granite State on Thursday night and headed directly to Manchester’s Puritan Backroom restaurant, a must-stop for White House hopefuls.
The Monitor learned that Booker and some members of his team were the house guests Thursday night at the Hanover home of state Sen. Martha Hennessey.
On Friday, he drew some 300 people to the Lebanon event and later about 100 to a house party in Claremont.
Hours before Booker landed in New Hampshire, former representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas kicked off his presidential bid by campaigning in Iowa, the state that votes first in the caucus and primary calendar.
Asked about O’Rourke’s candidacy and the intense media coverage that accompanied the launch, Booker told the Monitor he’s concentrating on his bid rather than worrying about his rivals. Booker explained he learned when he was running track in high school to “stay in your lane. Don’t look at the left or the right. Focus on the hurdles ahead of you. And for me, it’s all about connecting with voters.”
During his speech in Claremont, Booker appeared to take a jab at some of his rivals for the nomination, especially his fellow senators.
“I hope people look at my whole record. Not everybody in the race has had to run things and so you can actually see me running an organization as a chief executive,” as he spotlighted his tenure as mayor of Newark, N.J.
For many of the people in the crowd at the Claremont event, finding a candidate who can defeat Republican President Donald Trump is priority number one.
That was the case for Lisa DeBartolomao and Kathleen Eames, who came from nearby Charlestown.
“Someone who can win the election. That’s the priority,” explained Eames, who said climate change, health care and the cost of prescription drugs were her most pressing issues.
Polly Rand and Elizabeth Walker, who made the short trip from Cornish Flat, also listed beating Trump as job number one.
But Walker added that it’s also important to make sure the Democratic Party’s “not compromising our values. Not getting too swinging too far to the progressive side, but getting things done.”
Before flying out of Manchester airport to Iowa – which hosts the first caucus in the presidential race – Booker shook a few more hands and took some more selfies with patrons at the Airport Diner in Manchester.
Booker confirms famous girlfriend Speaking with reporters after his event in Lebanon, Booker confirmed that he’s dating actress Rosario Dawson.
“I am dating Rosario Dawson and I’m very happy about it,” the New Jersey Democrat told reporters following a campaign stop in New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary along the road to the White House.
“She’s a wonderful actor,” Booker highlighted.
The 39-year-old actress broke the news on Thursday, saying “yes, very much so,” when asked by TMZ at Washington’s Reagan-National airport that she was involved with the Booker, who turns 40 next month. “He’s a wonderful human being. It’s good to spend some time together when we can. Very busy.”
The actress, producer, singer, and comic book writer, first rose to fame with roles in movies such as 1998’s , 2002’s Men in Black II, and 2005’s Rent.
She’s also a political activist who backed Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries, teaming up with him on the campaign trail. She endorsed Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein in the general election, after Hillary Clinton topped Sanders for the Democratic nomination.
If Booker – who’s never been married – wins the White House, he would become just the third bachelor in the nation’s history to serve as president.