Cory Booker: ‘I’m Dating Somebody That’s Really Special To Me’
Cory Booker — the senator from New Jersey who recently threw his hat into the ring to run for president in 2020 as a Democrat — is a rare presidential candidate who is unmarried. But Tuesday, the candidate confirmed for the first time that he has a girlfriend.
Booker appeared on the Breakfast Club radio show on Power 105, and after speaking about his plans for the campaign, he also answered questions about his bachelorhood, as well as about his current relationship.
“Before I declared president, I’m dating somebody that’s really special to me,” Booker said on the show. He added that “I got a boo,” although he did not mention the girlfriend’s name. The candidate was also asked if his girlfriend would be a good first lady, he replied that she would. He also noted that he’s got two years before he would be serving as president, though he dodged the question of whether he plans to propose marriage.
Various media reports in recent months have linked Booker to actress Rosario Dawson, as the two have been spotted together around New York City and other places, including at the movies and at Broadway plays. Social media users have also spotted them together at such venues as airports and parties. Page Six reported in mid-January that the two were in fact dating.
The 49-year-old Booker and the 39-year-old Dawson have known each other since at least 2010, when Dawson tweeted congratulations to Booker on his re-election as mayor of Newark, New Jersey.
James Buchanan, who served in the 19th century, was the only U.S. president to never marry. Grover Cleveland was unmarried when he was elected, but married while in office.
Did you miss @CoryBooker on @breakfastclubam this morning??? Well here you go!! https://t.co/uRAKB41wF1
— Charlamagne Tha God (@cthagod) February 5, 2019
For most of the first half of the interview, Booker talked about his policy agenda — which included addressing mass incarceration, racial inequality, and other issues — while repeatedly plugging his campaign website. He also told some stories about his time playing football at Stanford. He later used another sports analogy, talking about his days as a hurdler.
“You don’t look at the right or left,” he said. “I ran the race.”
The interview was Booker’s first-ever in-studio appearance on The Breakfast Club, although he had called in on other occasions. The full interview is embedded below — the girlfriend discussion starts around the 31-minute mark.
Booker also described two other candidates, Senator Kamala Harris and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, as “like a sister to me,” while also praising Senator Elizabeth Warren.
