Booker Mulling Senate Run, Won't Challenge Christie
Speculation about Newark mayor's plans swirled for months
Newark Mayor Cory Booker ended months of speculation Thursday when he announced that he was considering a run for US Senate. “[ I ] will complete my full second term as mayor. As for my political future, I will explore the possibility of running for The United States Senate in 2014,” Booker said in a statement released shortly before noon. Political observers in the state and beyond have speculated whether Booker, 43, a Rhodes scholar and Bergen County native, would run for governor against Chris Christie in 2013 or seek the Senate seat now held by Booker’s fellow Democrat Frank Lautenberg. Lautenberg, at 88 the Senate’s oldest member, has not announced any plans to step down when his term expires in 2014. In his statement, Booker’s …