Booker Wins Senate Seat In NJ, But Must Campaign Soon

[DonViejo]

ANGELA DELLI SANTI, KATIE ZEZIMA – OCTOBER 17, 2013, 6:17 AM EDT

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Democrat Cory Booker has won a special election to represent New Jersey in the U.S. Senate through next year, but the rising political star will have to return to the campaign trail almost immediately to run for a full term.

Booker, 44, defeated conservative Steve Lonegan on Wednesday after an aggressive two month race to finish the term of Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who died in office in June at age 89.

The Newark mayor takes to Washington a national profile -- boosted by a strong social media presence, frequent television appearances and his status as an Obama surrogate during the president's 2012 re-election campaign -- just as the federal government begins functioning again after a 16-day shutdown.

"That's why I'm going to Washington -- to take back that sense of pride," Booker said in his victory speech. "Not to play shallow politics that's used to attack and divide but to engage in the kind of hard, humble service that reaches out to others."

:::snip:::

Lonegan, 57, told The Associated Press he has no plans to run again or return to Americans for Prosperity, the conservative, anti-tax group he quit to enter the race. He said he intends to start a business.

full article
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/booker-wins-senate-seat-in-nj-but-must-campaign-soon

[JustAnotherGen]

1. No one is going to

Primary him - and well . . . who are they going to run in 2014? I'm thoroughly enjoying my ability to gloat today. He wasn't my first choice in the primary here - he wasn't even my second choice . . .


But I'm just glad we won. Lonegan was a nut and a half and I hope he does slither away to his new business and shuts his filthy mouth.

[davidpdx]

2. True, the concern would be who his general election opponent will be

It sucks that as soon as he's sworn in he has to go right back to campaigning, but these are the choices we make as a party when we let people sit in a seat until they die. The same with Kennedy and Byrd. In Massachusetts we lost what should have been a safe seat after Kennedy's death and had to fight to get it back in 2012.

This time things will probably turn out fine and Booker will get reelected by a slightly larger margin next year then he did for the partial term today.

[JustAnotherGen]

3. I think

Booker can turn the 7th District Blue. . . These 'corporate' and wall street friendly Republicans are pissed off right now - and I think they will be for a long time - and at the end of the day - Booker is Wall Street's guy.