Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said Sunday that he is not ruling out running for president in 2028, but is focused on running for re-election to the Senate this year.
“I hope New Jersey supports me for another six years,” Booker told NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
Booker has been a member of the Senate since 2013 and has already run for president once, during the 2020 election cycle. That year, he gave up of the Democratic primary in early January, citing a lack of funds to continue his campaign. Joe Biden, then a former vice president, won the Democratic nomination and the presidency that year.
But Booker has fueled rumors in recent years that he might run again. The senator has raised $10 million for his campaign account and an affiliated joint fundraising committee, with a significant increase after delivery a record speech for 25 hours and 5 minutes in the Senate.
And last week, Booker released a new book, “Stand,” which he is promoting with a national book tour, sparking even more speculation that he could run for president again in 2028.
His remarks on “Meet the Press” were not the first time he refused to rule out another presidential bid. He told former Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison’s podcast in February that he had “not rejected the idea of running for president again in ’28.”
Booker, who married his wife, Alexis Lewis, last yearsaid they were both aware of “what’s at stake” for future generations when asked if she would support a potential presidential campaign.
“I think what she’s arguing now is that, number one, we’re both excited to be married and hopeful about starting a family, but she knows what’s at stake,” the senator said.
“She and I talk about it a lot, in the coming months we just want to be part of a generation of Americans that helps redeem the dream,” he later added.
Booker also spoke about his desire for the Democratic Party to be less restrictive in 2028 when it comes to enforcing purity tests and establishing ideological standards for candidates.
“I’m proud of so many things my fellow Democrats are doing, but overall our party has failed right now,” Booker told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker.
“This left-right divide is killing our country, and our adversaries know it. They come to our social media and try to stir up hatred in America,” the senator said. “This is one of our greatest crises. It is time for a new vision of our country that is much more unifying, that brings people together and does not deepen divisions.”
Some Democrats having blamed ideological tests that some left-wing groups have demanded that 2020 Democratic presidential candidates pass in exchange for endorsing former Vice President Kamala Harris’ failed presidential campaign two years ago.
Donald Trump’s campaign used one of Harris’ responses to an ACLU questionnaire in 2019 on providing gender-affirming care to detainees in prisons and immigration detention centers broadcast television advertisements accusing the vice president of being “for them” while “President Trump is for you.”
Booker also called on Sunday for the Democratic Party to broaden its priorities beyond just countering Trump and his agenda.
“The challenges on the horizon are not just the current crisis caused by Trump. He should not be the main character in our narrative,” Booker told Welker. “Right now we face real challenges with new technologies like AI and robotics, new challenges that we need more unity in our country and a reminder that we are not each other’s enemies.”