Would Cory Booker beat Donald Trump

[Da2017]

A charismatic establishment candidate.

[60+ GOP Seats After 2018 GUARANTEED]

He fits the 2 things a (non-incumbent) Democrat must be in the television age to win:

- 52 or younger (he'll be 51)
- Attractive

So he has a chance. I'd say a 15-20% chance, too hard to say right now. A lot of people think of him as Obama-lite though and he doesn't seem to be as charismatic as Obama was.

[Mr. Smith]

Kamala Harris would be stronger, and she's a greenhorn with San Francisco Values.

I don't know where Mr. "Street Fighter" went, but he needs to get back in there if Booker wants a sliver of a chance.

[JonHawk]

neither Booker nor Harris (aka POC Hilary) will win against Trump. They will be ok as VP's but the Dems need a Midwesterner as the headline if they have any chance

[Pericles]

He could but it'd be closers than it should be and Trump could beat him with greater ease than against a different opponent. Booker's path would be pushing up minority turnout and bringing on more suburbanites.

[McGovernForPrez]

Booker is probably one of the worst (serious) 2020 candidates imaginable. His positions aren't really compatible with the nation as a whole. He's very liberal socially, probably far too liberal for the nation, especially as a black man. He's also far more moderate on economic issues than most Democratic politicians. He's pissed of the progressive wing of the party in multiple ways. He defended Bain Capital from Obama's attacks in 2012. He also voted against Sanders' drug import amendment.

Cory Booker is politically inept. He has no ability to read the mood of the nation. He's already screwed up and pissed off a number of groups both left and right. He's basically told everyone that he's gonna run in 2020, so the Republicans are probably highly prepared for him. He's telegraphed his 2020 decision so much he already is having attack ads run against him.

[Dr Oz Lost Party!]

I'm leaning yes. I think any democrat can beat Trump. But it would be close with him. He may be able to take back Michigan and Pennsylvania through upping the black turnout in Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. And the Puerto Ricans will come to his aide in Florida.

[beaver2.0]

No.

[pbrower2a]

He could but it'd be closer than it should be and Trump could beat him with greater ease than against a different opponent. Booker's path would be pushing up minority turnout and bringing on more suburbanites.

That is what Obama did. Of course he ran in an open-seat election... but someone with the same level of political skill would have beaten Dubya in 2004.

Note that a recent national poll showed that President Trump is starting to have trouble with the rural vote, which means that Democrats would not need to run up such high totals of votes in urban areas to win such states as Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.     

[Inmate Trump]

Booker: 358
Trump: 180

[MATTROSE94]

Booker: 358
Trump: 180

Seems about right, though I would switch out Iowa, Ohio, and ME-2 with Texas and Georgia and give Trump 70% of the vote in West Virginia and Oklahoma and 60% of the vote in Tennessee, Indiana, Montana, and Missouri.

[Since I'm the mad scientist proclaimed by myself]

Considering that Hillary barely lost, Random centrist man with some charisma isn't going to.

[MAINEiac4434]

I'm leaning no. Can't get Bernie votes.

[Sestak]

I'm leaning no. Can't get Bernie votes.

Yeah. He's a reasonable speaker, but TYT/other lefty sites have done a nice hit job on him. To them Cory Booker is now literally the embodiment of Wall Street. Also he's from New Jersey. Dems from the Northeast don't exactly have a stellar record post-JFK.

[RINO Tom]

Considering that Hillary barely lost, Random centrist man with some charisma isn't going to.

RCMSC 2020

[SamTilden2020]

Considering that Hillary barely lost, Random centrist man with some charisma isn't going to.

RCMSC 2020

RCMSC/RNMMSC 2020:

"MACWSCA!"

[Shadows]

Cory Booker is now darth vader in progressive left circles.

Given how terrible Trump is, you could see anyone beating him if they run a disciplined & good campaign. However, the last thing you need to do is put a sure-shot victory against Trump in doubt by running a terrible candidate like Booker who will likely lose.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Booker strikes me as an "artificial" candidate.  Calculating to a fault.

Frankly, I can't see black voters getting all excited for Booker.  They'll support him, and he'll do better than Hillary, but it won't be like Obama in 2008. 

Obama in 2008 was already married, already a family man, already with the accoutrements of personal stability.  That was one reason he beat Hillary, the wife of a serial adulterer (at best).  Booker's private life is something of a mystery, and he's got a romantic interest he's not married to.  In politics, that rarely ends well. 

[AN63093]

I'm leaning yes. I think any democrat can beat Trump. But it would be close with him. He may be able to take back Michigan and Pennsylvania through upping the black turnout in Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. And the Puerto Ricans will come to his aide in Florida.

??

Turnout wasn't down in Philly or Pittsburgh...

Why.... WHY does this myth never seem to die??  *facepalm*

[AN63093]

Anyways, "would" Booker beat Trump?  Not confident enough to say that.  Could he?  Sure, I guess.

His path would be a little narrower than some other candidates though.  He'd flip MI, but then again, pretty much every serious D candidate is flipping MI.  He probably doesn't appeal to the right demographics that would be required to flip PA, though maybe he does a little better there than someone like Harris.  

So he basically has to drive up turnout in FL, or make a run at NC/AZ/GA.  It's possible, but not the easiest of the Dem paths.

[Mr. Morden]

Booker's private life is something of a mystery, and he's got a romantic interest he's not married to.  In politics, that rarely ends well. 

He says he wants to marry her though:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=272788.0

As I said in that thread, they can get married in 2019, and have their honeymoon in Des Moines. 

[Deblano]

His vote on the drug importation bill pissed a lot of progressives off and I think that makes him a more damaged and weak candidate since then, even if he is charismatic and has some good policy points (i.e marijuana decriminalization/criminal justice reform).

Had the drug vote never happened, he'd probably be in a stronger position to unify the party. His outsider candidacy against the corrupt Mayor Sharpe James in 2002 is pretty admirable IMO, for instance (i.e. the movie "Street Fight")

[tosk]

A charismatic establishment candidate.

shades of rubio?

[Deblano]

A charismatic establishment candidate.

shades of rubio?

In Booker's defense, Rubio has zero charisma. He's a scripted fool, while Booker can at least sound genuine at times.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Booker is probably one of the worst (serious) 2020 candidates imaginable. His positions aren't really compatible with the nation as a whole. He's very liberal socially, probably far too liberal for the nation, especially as a black man. He's also far more moderate on economic issues than most Democratic politicians. He's pissed of the progressive wing of the party in multiple ways. He defended Bain Capital from Obama's attacks in 2012. He also voted against Sanders' drug import amendment.

Cory Booker is politically inept. He has no ability to read the mood of the nation. He's already screwed up and pissed off a number of groups both left and right. He's basically told everyone that he's gonna run in 2020, so the Republicans are probably highly prepared for him. He's telegraphed his 2020 decision so much he already is having attack ads run against him.

I tend to agree with this analysis. 

I actually think Kamala Harris would be a better candidate than Booker.  I don't really like her, but as a candidate, I've come around to think she might actually be better.