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With Cory Booker As VP, Hillary Clinton Could Energize Black, Young Voters

By Ernie Howell
Published on: 21:03 PST, Jun 18, 2016

While Cory Booker may not want to discuss the potential of becoming the vice president candidate for presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, several media outlets are reporting the New Jersey politician is emerging as one of the strongest options among a crowded field.

The field of potential VP selections for Hillary Clinton was recently leaked by the Wall Street Journal, suggesting that nine candidates have emerged for the Democratic VP slot. Cory Booker was one of four U.S. Senators named to the supposed shortlist, joining popular names like Massachusetts’ Elizabeth Warren, Virginia’s Tim Kaine, and Ohio’s Sherrod Brown on the list.

Cory Booker — a former Newark mayor from 2006-2013 — is a tech-savvy 47-year-old that strengthens the Democratic ticket in ways other candidates cannot. Beyond potentially making history as the first black vice president, Cory Booker could help Hillary Clinton energize both the African-American and younger voters she’s struggled connecting with at times during this election cycle. Cory Booker is also considered an effective legislator who can reach bipartisan agreements, characteristics that make Cory stand out, according to a recent Vox article.

“Booker is one of the best-known Democratic senators not named [Elizabeth] Warren, as evidenced by the fact that he comes in second (albeit a distant one) to Warren in Bloomberg’s recent poll asking Clinton supporters whom they’d like to see as her running mate. He’s incredibly media-savvy (it doesn’t hurt that Newark is in the New York City media market), with a documentary and a documentary TV series, both quite positive, under his belt… That kind of national profile and ability to garner earned media is no small asset in a running mate.”

The article also pointed out each potential VP selection’s flaws, but Cory Booker was largely spared. Being a single man was the biggest concern the article mentioned, noting that Cory Booker would be first VP since 1949 to enter the White House without a spouse.

Cory Booker is currently making a tour around the country, speaking at numerous Democratic party functions. In his latest speech Saturday night at the Florida Democratic Party’s Leadership Blue Gala, Cory Booker gave an impassioned 52-minute speech that was both funny and personal, according to Florida Politics. Cory Booker also admitted that he was tired of answering questions about becoming the VP selection for Hillary Clinton.

“You know what? I’m focused on being the best New Jersey Senator I can possibly be. And I’m leaving a lot of that speculation for the ‘speculators’ and right now my focus is doing my job… I’m not even entertaining that anymore. I’ve been answering that question about 50 times in the last three days, so I’m focused on doing my job.”

Cory Booker continued to maintain that he is not being actively considered for VP by Hillary Clinton in other recent interviews. According to a U.S. News and World Report article, Cory Booker told MSNBC‘s Andrea Mitchell that he is not being vetted for the position.

“I am hearing much more from media folks like you asking me these questions. It’s flattering and everything like that, but I’m not being vetted… The only time I get asked from my personal data is my credit card number when I’m trying to buy lunch.”

The U.S. News and World Report article pointed out perhaps his most-glaring weakness is an attribute that Cory Booker has no control over. “If Booker is left off the short list, it may be because the state he comes from, not any of this qualifications,” the article explained. “Should he join Clinton on the ticket and they win the election, Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey would select a [Republican] replacement for him for the remainder of his term, which ends in 2021.”

The current press tour isn’t the only time Hillary Clinton has used potential VP selection Cory Booker during this election cycle. Cory Booker has appeared multiple times with Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail already, including earlier this year when the black U.S. Senator stumped for the presumptive Democratic nominee in South Carolina during the build-up to Hillary Clinton’s victory in the state by a wide 47-percent margin, the Los Angeles Times reported.

In addition to Cory Booker, Hillary Clinton’s shortlist for VP also included House of Representatives members Xavier Becerra of California and Tim Ryan of Ohio, Labor Secretary Tom Perez, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Independent rival Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, was not being considered for the VP position, according to the Wall Street Journal article.

Donald Trump — the presumptive Republican nominee for president — has also had his VP shortlist revealed, according to previous reports by the Inquisitr. The report suggested that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Ohio Governor John Kasich, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin were candidates being vetted for the VP position on the GOP ticket. Recently, Joni Ernst — a U.S. Senator from Iowa — has recently emerged as a potential VP selection in an attempt to court female voters.

Do you think Cory Booker should be considered for VP and join Hillary Clinton on the Democratic ticket? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

[Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images]

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hillary clinton cory booker bernie sanders elizabeth warren Donald Trump Chris Christie
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