Who?
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) — Senate Judiciary Committee
LISTEN: Laslo & Booker
Ask a Pol asks:
We’re seeing so many Democrats getting primaried — former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Rep. Jan Schakowski (D-IL), etc. — it just seems like we’ve got a little bit of a Democratic civil war going on?
Key Booker:
“I don't know about that,” Sen. Cory Booker exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “I don't know many Democrats in New Jersey that run without somebody primarying them. I don’t think that’s unusual.”*
*19-term Congressman Frank Pallone is being primaried by investment analyst Katie Bansil. Since first winning in 1988, Pallone’s faced primary challengers in 1992, 2018, 2020 and 2024, according to the New Jersey Globe.
ICYMI — this Booker interview was first used in a feature for Raw Story, one of Laslo’s wire service clients
Have the 2026 midterm elections begun already?
Isn’t this a little too early to rev up the base for the midterms?
“No, I think this is a — again, politics takes care of itself if we focus on people. And I think standing up for people right now and the more leaders — ‘leaders,’ whether they have title or not — leaders need to be standing up for others. And that's going to create momentum to stop Donald Trump,” Booker says. “At the end of the day, what the effort is right now, it's not the ‘26 midterms, simply, it's getting a few Republicans to switch their votes like they did with former Arizona Sen. John McCain.”
Caught our ear:
“I do not feel a Democratic civil war,” Booker tells us. “If anything, I feel more unity in our party than I've ever felt, because the threats of what Donald Trump is doing are so real and so urgent that I see people working in ways and coalitions that are inspiring to me.”
What should we ask Congress next? Let us know!
TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Cory Booker (4-10-2025)
SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo greets Sen. Cory Booker as he exits the tram underneath the US Senate before rushing through the Capitol basement and then hopping an elevator together before the senator enters the Senate chamber to vote.
Matt Laslo: “Hey, look at this young man!”
Someone bumps into Laslo: “Pardon me.”
Cory Booker: “Hey.”
ML: “How you doing?”
CB: “I'm doing good. That’s a nice tie.”
ML: “So I hear — I always get compliments in it — so I hear you’re going around doing some town halls.”
CB: “Yes.”
ML: “Why is this important? Like, strategy wise?”
CB: “Because we're all in this together. As much as I'm crisscrossing New Jersey, it's important that I let my voice my voice get larger.”
Every bit helps our new media startup survive!
Find Ask a Pol on Venmo, PayPal, Cash App — or just buy us a beer!
Booker bumps into someone: “Sorry about that man. So sorry.”
Someone: “No, you’re good.”
ML: “Well, we’re seeing so many Democrats getting primaried. [Former Speaker Nancy] Pelosi‘s getting primaried. Up in Jersey, [Rep. Frank] Pallone’s being primaried and so is [Rep. Brad] Sherman. Do you think — it just seems, from my perspective, like we got a little bit of a Democratic civil war going on.”
CB: “I don't know about that. I don't know many Democrats in New Jersey that run without somebody primarying them. I don’t think that’s unusual.”
ML: “Yeah? Yeah.”
CB: “And I think Pallone will do extraordinarily well.”
ML: “Yeah?”
CB: “Can't speak to other states. I don't know them as well as New Jersey, I do not feel a Democratic civil war. If anything, I feel more unity in our party than I've ever felt, because the threats of what Donald Trump is doing are so real and so urgent that I see people working in ways and coalitions that are inspiring to me.”
ML: “And this, it seems a little more concerted of an effort this time around than what we saw like a month or so ago.”
CB: “When you say ‘this’ — what is this?”
ML: “Just you, others going around.”
CB: “Yeah, absolutely. This is a, as I said on the floor, this is a moral moment, and I feel an obligation to do more and travel more and help more and reach out more and stand up more. And so I think a lot of us are feeling that.”
ML: “Yeah?”
CB: “Normally, in election cycles, I'm all over the country trying to help people, but I'm working even harder now. Trying to help local parties, trying to help congressional candidates. This is all hands on deck, because the consequences of this ‘26 election could determine whether Americans have access to health care or not, VA [veteran] benefits or not, Social Security or not. So it was all hands on deck. Push as hard as you ever pushed, as much as I was exhausted after the last election cycle I’m putting it all on the line.”
ML: “Yeah? Is this a little too early though to rev up the base for the midterms? Or, they're already revved up and you guys…”
CB: “No, I think this is a — again, politics takes care of itself if we focus on people. And I think standing up for people right now and the more leaders — ‘leaders,’ whether they have title or not — leaders need to be standing up for others. And that's going to create momentum to stop Donald Trump…”
ML: “Yeah?“
CB: “…because, at the end of the day, what the effort is right now, it's not the ‘26 midterms, simply, it's getting a few Republicans to switch their votes like they did with John McCain.”
ML: “Yeah?”
CB: “If we can win over three or four people in the House, we win.”
ML: “Interesting.”
CB: “And so this is why me and others are looking towards swing districts where clearly the stuff that's being proposed is not popular amongst some of these Republicans. I mean, more their base, in their districts, Republican and Democrat are against what's happening. So we just want to do everything we can to lead in this moment and the elections will take care of themselves.”
ML: “Yup? Preciate ya.”
Booker heads in to the Senate chamber to cast his vote.
CB: “Thank you, sir.”
Laslo hops an elevator back down to the Capitol’s basement to stakeout more senators…
Share this post