State Rep. Charles Booker (D-Louisville) announced on Sunday that he is running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, joining a crowded field looking to challenge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Booker is in his first term as a Kentucky state representative. He formed an exploratory committee for the Senate race a few months ago, then went on a “listening tour” across Kentucky to gauge interest in his candidacy and to learn more about the issues across the state.
In a statement issued by the campaign, Booker said:
“Today, I am entering the race for the U.S. Senate. But this isn’t the start of a campaign – this is the beginning of a movement. A movement of the people taking on the powerful. A movement of Kentuckians whose voices haven’t been heard. A movement of regular folks coming together to say we’re not going to be lied to, ignored, and robbed by politicians any longer. Because folks across Kentucky are ready for change.
“There are some in the Democratic Party who still believe that the way to beat Mitch is by running to the soft center, by saying nothing and taking no positions. But we’ve tried it their way and we’ve lost, repeatedly.
“I believe that the only way to defeat Mitch McConnell is to run against Mitch McConnell. Dancing around him isn’t going to get us anywhere. We have to take the fight to him. You don’t beat the most unpopular senator in America by running away from him, or trying to be like him. You win by putting him on the defensive, holding him accountable, and making him answer for what he’s done.”
When Booker was elected to the Kentucky House in 2018m, he became the youngest black state representative in 90 years. Booker has taken progressive positions on many issues (he had one of the highest scores on the ForwardKY Legislator Scorecard), but also has helped pass bipartisan legislation.
Booker has already been endorsed by the Sunrise Movement and the Action PAC. He enters a field where Amy McGrath already has a huge lead in fund-raising, and where Mike Broihier is also running as a progressive, while Steven Cox is focused on health care. Nevertheless, crowds for Booker have been enthusiastic, and a number of progressives have indicated their interest in his campaign.
It should also be noted that as soon as Booker announced he was running, the McConnell campaign was ready with an ad on social media attacking Booker as a “radical liberal” with “socialist fantasies,” just as they have done with Broihier and McGrath. (Each ad was a fund-raising pitch.)
The Booker campaign site is BookerForKentucky.com.
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