New Jersey Senator Cory Booker has positioned himself as a leading contender in the 2028 presidential election following the Democrat’s record-breaking Senate speech, according to a Republican pollster.
Frank Luntz told NewsNation’s On Balance with Leland Vittert that Booker’s mammoth 25-hour speech criticizing President Donald Trump means he should be considered one of his party’s “leaders” heading into the next presidential election.
Newsweek has contacted Booker’s office for comment via email.
Why It Matters
In addition to raising his own profile, Booker’s speech has been praised for demonstrating a fighting spirit and attention-grabbing ability that the Democratic Party has largely lacked since its crushing defeats in the 2024 elections.
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What to Know
Booker delivered the longest Senate speech in U.S. history, ending it Tuesday night after 25 hours and five minutes. The previous record was held by South Carolina’s Strom Thurmond, who spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
Speaking to NewsNation, Luntz said Booker “may have changed the course of political history” with the speech and suggested it could eventually propel him to the White House.
In the short term, Luntz said Democrats may also want Booker to replace under-fire Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer in the wake of the speech.
Booker vowed to speak on the Senate floor for as long as he was “physically able” to do so. He was not allowed to sit or take a bathroom break, as either would have resulted in him yielding the floor.
Booker, who previously made history by becoming New Jersey’s first Black senator in 2013, spent a large portion of his speech reading letters from constituents who said they had been harmed by Trump’s policies. He also passed time by taking questions from his Democratic colleagues.
After beginning his remarks at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, Booker yielded the floor just after 8 p.m. Tuesday. He concluded with a tribute to the late John Lewis, a longtime Georgia congressman and civil rights icon.
Booker previously ran for president during the 2020 campaign and went on to endorse Joe Biden after suspending his own bid.
What People Are Saying
Frank Luntz, speaking to NewsNation: “What Cory Booker did over the last 24 hours may have changed the course of political history. I watched a lot of it. I listened to the words. I listened to phrases, how he presents himself. Did he criticize Donald Trump? Of course he did, but he struck the kind of tone that grassroots Democrats are looking for. He gave them a reason to fight. He gave them a reason to stand up and say, ‘This is my country too.’
“That speech puts Cory Booker as one of the leaders for the Democratic Party for 2028. I’ll go even further. If you ask Democratic senators right now who they would rather have lead them over the next three years, they would choose Cory Booker over Chuck Schumer. That’s how significant today was.”
Senator Cory Booker concluding his speech: “It’s time to heed the words of the man I began this whole thing with, John Lewis. He would not normalize a moment like this. He would not just go along with business as usual. He wouldn’t know how to solve it. But there’s one thing that he would do. He said for us to go out and cause some good trouble, necessary trouble, to redeem the soul of our nation.
“From all Americans, this is a moral moment. It’s not left or right, it’s right or wrong. Let’s get into trouble.”
Brian Rosenwald, author and political commentator, posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Look, I don’t think Cory Booker is the Democratic nominee in 2028. But for right now, he’d be a far healthier face of the party than Schumer/Jeffries/Harris/Walz/AOC/Bernie.”
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said: “Cory Booker is looking for another ‘I am Spartacus’ moment, but that didn’t work for his failed presidential campaign, and it didn’t work to block President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. When will he realize he’s not Spartacus—he’s a spoof?”
What Happens Next
Other Democratic figures, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, are also being discussed as potential 2028 candidates.
