It Was Never Going to Be Cory Booker’s Year
Booker’s message of love was not able to break through the post-2016 cynicism
Americans are just so goddamn tired. The world is literally burning, trust in political institutions has nosedived, income inequality is at its highest, the country is split by partisanship at a level that feels toxic to democracy, and the laundry list of Bad Stuff goes on and on. Which is all to say, Cory Booker never stood a chance — not in this political moment.
The U.S. senator from New Jersey, who preached love and unity on the campaign trail, dropped out of the 2020 presidential race on Monday. Booker cited a lack of fundraising and having to stay in Washington for the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump as the main reasons he was ending his campaign for the Democratic nomination.
“I’m proud of the ideas we brought to this Democratic primary and, more importantly, the values we championed throughout — that the only way we make progress is by bringing people together — even when we were told that our approach couldn’t win,” he said in an email to supporters announcing the end of his campaign. “Because our values must always be our values, even when that’s not convenient.”
