There has been very little chatter about other prominent Democratic names entering the Senate race, though political neophyte Ruth Gao announced Wednesday she is entering the race.īooker said he hopes to build up support from Democratic officials across the state over the course of his campaign, but expects state legislative leaders to be there in support at his kickoff rally Thursday. Related: Rand Paul visits Kentuckians, slams socialism on eve of Charles Booker's announcement "We're building this for the people of Kentucky, and anyone that is willing to get behind us - and certainly get out of our way - we're appreciative of that." "It's been made clear that they recognize my leadership, they understand that I've built the infrastructure," Booker said. While national party establishment like the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee put its finger on the scale for McGrath in last year's primary, Booker said through conversations he's had, it is his expectation that "national leadership will respect and understand that it's our time to lead the way."
"And if we can tell that truth and show that we're actually fighting the same battles, so we should fight together, it's an opportunity to transcend party, to really build this coalition based on those kind of bonds." Putting food on the table, being safe in your home, these issues aren't partisan," Booker said. "Rationing your insulin, like I've had to do, that's not partisan. More: Charles Booker, Kentucky's progressive phenom, looks to carry momentum into '21 and beyondĪs he vowed in his last campaign to interact and listen to Kentuckians "from the hood to the holler," Booker says he'll take no area for granted and break through conventional partisan politics to reach voters who typically tune out his party. "The path to victory really goes to the heart of us redefining our politics." "I know for a fact that we will blow out Rand Paul," Booker said. Though some Kentucky Democrats believe a centrist candidate is the only kind that can win a statewide race in the current political climate, Booker says his unique brand of politics will create an unconventional path to victory. Mitch McConnell in the general election, McGrath went on to be blown out by the Republican Senate leader in the November election - a common outcome for Democratic statewide candidates over the past decade, as Kentucky continues its rightward political shift. "And it's one that says we're ready to come together across race, class, geography, that we're ready to fight for structural change, and we're ready to heal, and we're ready to do more than just struggle."Ī massive underdog last year in the Democrat primary against Amy McGrath - who greatly outspent him and had the backing of the national party establishment - support for Booker's unapologetically progressive campaign surged in the final month, though he fell just 3 percentage points shy of the upset.ĭespite also outspending Sen. "What we started, the story I tell in my previous run, was the story that the people of Kentucky knew we needed to finish telling," Booker said. In a Wednesday interview with The Courier Journal about his new run for Senate, Booker said his campaign will build on the themes and issues of his 2020 run and the Hood to the Holler nonprofit advocacy group he formed in its wake.īooker formed an exploratory committee for a potential run in April, saying he would travel the state and listen to Kentuckians to gauge if there was enough support for him to win a race against Paul, who says he will run for a third term. Rand Paul in 2022.īooker is scheduled to kick off his candidacy at a noon rally in the majority-Black West End of Louisville, part of the district he represented for one term in the Kentucky House of Representatives.
Senate came up just short in the Democratic primary, Charles Booker formally launched his new candidacy for the office Thursday, this time hoping to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. LOUISVILLE, Kentucky - Almost exactly one year after his bid for U.S. Kentucky 43rd District Representative Charles Booker.
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