Community Corner
Cory Booker Will Not Run For President In 2016
Booker in December also said he would finish out his term as mayor before running for Senate.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker today "unequivocally'' ruled out a 2016 presidential bid, according to published reports.
"Absolutely yes, unequivocally," Booker said to a Politico reporter who asked if he would rule himself out as a presidential or vice presidential candidate.
Booker, however, also had previously said he would not leave his position as Mayor of Newark before the end of his second term.
"Let there be no doubt, I will complete my full second term as mayor," Booker said in December 2012.
Booker is the odds-on favorite in the Aug. 13 Democratic special primary election. The two-term mayor leads his competitors – U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone (D-6) and Rush Holt (D-12), as well as state Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-34) by at least 40 percentage points.
The winner of the primary will face off on Oct. 16 with the winner of the GOP primary, which pits former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan against Somerset County physician Alieta Eck. Lonegan leads by double digits in the latest polling.
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