Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said Sunday that he is not ruling out the prospect of running for president in 2028, but that he is focused on running for re-election to the Senate this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI hope New Jersey will support me for another six years,\u201d Booker told NBC News\u2019 \u201cMeet the Press.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Booker has served in the Senate since 2013 and has already run for president once, in the 2020 election cycle. That year, he dropped out of the Democratic primary in early January, citing a lack of funds to continue his campaign. Then-former Vice President Joe Biden went on to win the Democratic nomination and the presidency that year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Booker has fueled rumors in recent years that he could run again. The senator has raised $10 million for his campaign account and an affiliated joint fundraising committee, with a major bump after he delivered a record-breaking speech for 25 hours and 5 minutes on the Senate floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And last week, Booker released a new book, \u201cStand,\u201d that he\u2019s promoting with a nationwide book tour, further prompting speculation that he may run for president again in 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His remarks on \u201cMeet the Press\u201d weren\u2019t the first time he declined to rule out another presidential run. He told former Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison\u2019s podcast in February that he had \u201cnot dismissed the idea of running for president again in \u201928.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Booker, who married his wife, Alexis Lewis, last year, said they both realize \u201cwhat\u2019s at stake\u201d for future generations when asked whether she\u2019d support a potential presidential campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think what she\u2019s supportive of now is, number one, we both are excited about being married and hopeful for a family, but she knows what\u2019s at stake,\u201d the senator said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe and I talk a lot about, in the coming months, we just want to be a part of a generation of Americans that helps to redeem the dream,\u201d he later added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Booker also spoke about his desire for the Democratic Party in 2028 to be less restrictive about enforcing purity tests and setting ideological standards for candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m proud of so many things that my Democratic colleagues are doing, but as a whole, our party has failed this moment,\u201d Booker told \u201cMeet the Press\u201d moderator Kristen Welker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis left-right divide is killing our country, and our adversaries know it. They come onto our social media and try to whip up hate in America,\u201d the senator said. \u201cThat is one of our biggest crises. It is time for a new vision of our country that\u2019s far more uniting, that brings people together, doesn\u2019t deepen divides.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some Democrats have blamed the ideological tests some left-leaning groups demanded Democratic presidential candidates take in 2020 in exchange for endorsements for felling former Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 presidential campaign two years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Donald Trump\u2019s campaign used one of Harris\u2019 answers to an ACLU questionnaire in 2019 about providing gender-affirming care for inmates in prisons and immigration detention to run TV ads accusing the vice president of being \u201cfor they\/them\u201d while \u201cPresident Trump is for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Booker on Sunday also called for the Democratic Party to expand its priorities from just countering Trump and his agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe challenges on the horizon aren\u2019t just this current crisis that Trump has caused. He shouldn\u2019t be the main character of our narrative,\u201d Booker told Welker. \u201cRight now, we have real challenges from 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\u2019s enemies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n