Cory Booker in 2013 N.J. Special Senate Election Debates
On Civil Rights:
Supports gay marriage: We are all equal under the law
The two clashed sharply on just about every issue, including gay marriage and abortion. Booker said he supports same-sex marriage, saying "We are all equal under the law."Lonegan said "marriage is the greatest institution made by man"
because "it's about the children." Asked whether he believes gay couples should have children, he quipped: "That would be a biological phenomenon." He then added: "I have mixed feelings about that."
Source: Newark Star-Ledger coverage of 2013 N.J. Senate debate
Oct 9, 2013
On Principles & Values:
Money to cities is ok: we're one state with one destiny
Lonegan said, "You may not be able to swim in the Passaic river, but it's probably because of all the bodies floating around of shooting victims in your city.""Oh my God," Booker said.
In another exchange, Lonegan said the state has poured countless
dollars "into a big black hole in Newark."
Booker called Lonegan's tone "insulting" and, in a theme he repeated throughout the debate, said Lonegan needed to stop "talking down to New Jersey's cities."
"We're one state with one destiny," Booker said
Source: Newark Star-Ledger coverage of 2013 N.J. Senate debate
Oct 9, 2013
On Abortion:
OpEd: In mainstream of NJ, supporting abortion rights
Booker and Lonegan each attacked the other with starkly different views on health care, gay marriage, abortion, education and job creation.Lonegan was asked about his affiliation with the tea party, his support for the government shutdown and his
opposition to abortion and gay marriage.
Booker's campaign is banking on the fact that Lonegan's views are far to the right of those of a majority of New Jersey residents, who support abortion and gay marriage and voted to return Pres. Obama to office.
Source: Newark Star-Ledger coverage of 2013 N.J. Senate debate
Oct 5, 2013
On Civil Rights:
African-Americans & gays should both be equal under the law
A state Superior Court judge last week ruled New Jersey must allow gay couples to get married. Lonegan said the ruling on same-sex marriage should be made by the state Legislature or people of New Jersey, not a judge.Booker disagreed and said that as
an African-American, he would "not be standing here right now if judges didn't say everyone in America is equal under the law."
"The ability to marry the person you love is one of the most fundamental liberties in America," he added.
Source: Newark Star-Ledger coverage of 2013 N.J. Senate debate
Oct 5, 2013
On Health Care:
ObamaCare needs to be improved, but is helping people now
Booker applauded Obama's Affordable Care Act--better known as "ObamaCare"--and chastised Republicans in Washington for fighting it to the point of forcing a partial shutdown of the federal government. He said the health care overhaul is helping people
who have children with diseases that would have been denied coverage under the old system. "ObamaCare needs to be improved, and what we should be doing in Washington is working together (on it)," Booker said. "These are real people's lives."
Source: Newark Star-Ledger coverage of 2013 N.J. Senate debate
Oct 5, 2013
On Health Care:
Control healthcare cost; no comment on single-payer
One of the most contentious parts was over health insurance.- Oliver and Pallone said they support a government-run insurance system but that it can't get passed now.
- Holt told them that their approach is "another way of
saying we can only do things that we clear with the tea party."
- Booker called for controlling health care costs but avoided the single-payer debate.
Source: Politico.com coverage of 2013 N.J. Senate debate
Aug 6, 2013
On Education:
Supports school voucher proposal, like other Democrats
U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone and Rush Holt took some shots at Booker, mostly for his support of a school voucher proposal offered by Gov. Chris Christie. "I very much disagree with Mayor Booker on this. I do not believe that vouchers are the answer,"
Pallone said. "I'm very concerned about how vouchers, which he supports, will take away funding from public schools. I believe in public schools."When Booker responded that he, too, believes in public schools and that he helped bring $100 million in
philanthropic funds into the city's school system, Booker said both Pallone and Holt had voted in favor of the Washington DC Opportunity Scholarship Program--a voucher-like program that gives scholarships to low-income children. "While they're
criticizing me I'd like them both to explain why they voted for the same position I have," Booker said. The vote Booker referenced was actually a much larger appropriations bill that included the program.
Source: Star-Ledger coverage of 2013 N.J. Senate debate
Aug 5, 2013
On Energy & Oil:
Has never taken a public position on a carbon tax
Holt launched his first TV ad and faulted Booker for not supporting a carbon tax or breaking up large banking institutions in the 31-second spot. "Cory Booker may be the frontrunner in this race, but he's not progressive,"
Holt said in the ad running until the election on broadcast in New York and cable in Philadelphia.
A Booker campaign spokesman questioned the ad's validity, saying the mayor has never taken a public position on a carbon tax or breaking up banks. "It's disappointing that Representative Holt would mislead voters about Mayor Booker's record," he said.
Booker launched his fourth ad Monday, with the mayor speaking about what he would bring to the Senate while ignoring the other primary candidates.
Source: Wall Street Journal coverage of 2013 N.J. Senate debate
Aug 5, 2013
On Free Trade:
China is engaging in unfair trade practices
[All four Democratic candidates] showed few differences in how the
US should approach its relationship with China, saying that its economic rise is a good thing but that it is engaging in unfair trade practices.
Source: Star-Ledger coverage of 2013 N.J. Senate debate
Aug 5, 2013
On War & Peace:
Direct military intervention in Syria only as last resort
[All four Democratic candidates] agreed the United States shouldn't take any rash actions against Russia for harboring Edward Snowden, but said it should pressure that country against instituting restrictive laws against gays.
All four said the United States should be careful in how it deals with Syria, advocating against direct military intervention except as a last resort.
Source: Star-Ledger coverage of 2013 N.J. Senate debate
Aug 5, 2013
On Crime:
Launch Fatherhood Center and pro-bono legal help for ex-cons
Booker has tried to find ways to short-circuit the farcical arrest-release-rearrest-rerelease cycle by encouraging
ex-offenders get a foothold once they're out--launching the Fatherhood Center, which helps men who want to be better dads, as well as partnering with the legal community to create the nation's first pro bono legal service for ex-cons.
Source: Oprah Magazine on 2013 N.J. Senate race
Sep 1, 2010
On Crime:
Police overhaul to change cronyism, favoritism, and cynicism
One of Booker's earliest priorities as mayor was to overhaul the police department, which suffered from cronyism, favoritism, and cynicism; a corrosive "Why bother?" attitude had set in.Alerted via e-mail every time there was a shooting, and frantic
to avoid another one, he started hitting the hoops court at midnight to help keep kids busy and out of harm's way. Then he began going out on night patrols in cruisers with cops, rolling up to shady characters and initiating come-to-Jesus conversations
about what they were doing with their lives. The foolhardy gambit had its impact: Booker's dedication started to rub off on the department.
More orthodox strategies have included what's known as the broken windows theory--the idea that attention to basic quality-of-life issues can ultimately help avert serious crimes.
Source: Oprah Magazine on 2013 N.J. Senate race
Sep 1, 2010
On Crime:
Applied "broken windows theory" in Newark policing
More orthodox strategies have included what's known as the broken windows theory--the idea that attention to basic quality-of-life issues can ultimately help avert serious crimes, as when two policemen stopped a guy drinking a beer on the corner, then
discovered he was carrying two guns. When they brought him to the precinct and ran his name through the database, they found out he'd just been released from prison for shooting someone six years earlier on that very corner. "If those cops had driven
past the guy, we probably would have had a homicide that night," [Booker's police chief] notes. Overall, [Booker's police policy] is getting results: Murders are down 29 percent since Booker took office, and
2010 saw an almost festive-sounding "murder-free March," the first such month in Newark in more than 40 years. But there have been setbacks.
Source: Oprah Magazine on 2013 N.J. Senate race
Sep 1, 2010
On Drugs:
Never attracted to drink and drugs, even as teenager
In a city not known for its salad bars, Booker is an anomaly, and his vegetarian diet is only part of it. He has no known vices or addictions (except books--a friend once joked that Booker's crack den was
Barnes and Noble); drink and drugs have never held any allure. During high school, friends would offer him money just to see him take a sip of beer.
In mission and temperament, Booker is the quintessential designated driver. "TV, food, alcohol, sex--they're all things we can fill our lives with that can distract us from our purpose,"
he says. "I was one of those kids who wanted to be a good kid," he notes.
Source: Oprah Magazine on 2013 N.J. Senate race
Sep 1, 2010
On Education:
$120 million for "Teachers Village" where educators live
In progress [under Booker's mayoral office]: a $120 million plan to create a "Teachers Village," with charter schools as well as housing and retail that will be marketed to educators from nearby colleges like
Rutgers and Seton Hall, giving them some incentive to live where they work.
Source: Oprah Magazine on 2013 N.J. Senate race
Sep 1, 2010
On Environment:
Vegetarian because of environmental impact of eating meat
Booker tears into a takeout container of scrambled egg whites with peppers and onions. He's been a vegetarian since Oxford, where he was a Rhodes scholar. As Booker describes it in his soothing, storyteller's tenor, "I decided to take to heart
Socrates' admonishment about the unexamined life"--the one that says such a life isn't worth living. "And I started reading everything I could. And the more I read, from the environmental impact of eating meat to the health issues to Gandhi, the more
I realized that eating the extreme amounts that I really enjoyed was not resonant with my spirit, with my values. So I tried to go cold turkey, and my body just took off--I felt so good.
I'm not one of those judgmental vegetarians who says everybody should do this, but for me it works, and it works very well." In a city not known for its salad bars, Booker is an anomaly
Source: Oprah Magazine on 2013 N.J. Senate race
Sep 1, 2010
Page last updated: Dec 05, 2018