{"id":3211,"date":"2026-05-25T09:38:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T09:38:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/?p=3211"},"modified":"2026-05-25T09:38:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T09:38:31","slug":"cory-booker-says-democrats-are-desperate-for-fresh-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/?p=3211","title":{"rendered":"Cory Booker says Democrats are &#8216;desperate&#8217; for fresh leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The\u00a0midterm elections\u00a0are less than six months away, and one Democratic senator is sounding the alarm on the party\u2019s leadership and vision for the future.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Speaking to Jake Tapper on CNN\u2019s &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; Sunday, May 24, Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, said the party &#8220;desperately needs new leadership,&#8221; days after the Democratic National Committee released its\u00a0much-anticipated autopsy\u00a0of the 2024 election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;We need to focus on the people, and the Democratic Party desperately needs new leadership, and that&#8217;s what&#8217;s exciting me about this cycle,&#8221; Booker said. &#8220;It&#8217;s not only new leaders emerging, but a new vision for our party.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rounded-lg\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/wv56xd_RvQjWyV96lQ1waQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/usa_today_news_641\/4b734c69c8f2199bfa53fa9e705a92c5\" alt=\"House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (R) (D-NY) walks with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (L) (D-NY) prior to an event with congressional Democrats on May 21, 2026 in Washington, DC.\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><button class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\" data-rapid_p=\"9\" data-y-link-id=\"06lgs2t02i08d80kl99u\" data-v9y=\"1\"><\/button><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 line-clamp-2 pr-2.5\">\n<div>House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (R) (D-NY) walks with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (L) (D-NY) prior to an event with congressional Democrats on May 21, 2026 in Washington, DC.<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">New leaders vs. new leadership?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Booker pointed to three Democrats who he thinks represent the future of the party \u2013\u2013 Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, Texas Senate hopeful\u00a0James Talarico\u00a0and Roy Cooper, the former governor of North Carolina and current Senate candidate.<\/p>\n<div class=\"max-md:faux-bleed mb-4 bg-accent\/2 pb-5 md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;People are suffering, people are hurting, and they&#8217;re going to support the leaders,&#8221; Booker said. &#8220;And I&#8217;m seeing this in Talarico, in Ossoff, in Cooper in North Carolina, that those leaders are stepping up and saying, &#8216;I don&#8217;t give a damn about parties. I care about people.&#8217; You cannot lead the people if they don&#8217;t trust you, and that&#8217;s what&#8217;s lacking right now with the party apparatus.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"-mx-4 mb-5 max-w-[750px] md:mx-0\">\n<div class=\"relative md:overflow-hidden md:rounded-lg\">\n<div class=\"absolute left-3 top-1\/2 z-1 -translate-y-1\/2 md:left-6\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"_R_4n58qoqk5slubsnqq5b_\" class=\"no-scrollbar flex snap-x snap-mandatory overflow-y-hidden overflow-x-scroll\">\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"true\">\n<div class=\"snap-start snap-always\" data-slide-index=\"0\">\n<div class=\"snap-start snap-always\" data-slide-index=\"0\">\n<div class=\"relative overflow-hidden\">\n<div class=\"absolute inset-0 blur-3xl\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"object-contain object-center\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/3lFEzge5YBgEVdmRlgHbkQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0NDA7Y2Y9d2VicA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/usa_today_slideshows_242\/f07b5aa4ff6b92a4c63903f2ea76997b\" alt=\"\" data-nimg=\"fill\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm sr-only pr-2.5 text-tertiary\">\n<div>\n<div>Newark Mayor Cory Booker speaks with a USA Today reporter in his City Hall office on July 19, 2006. Booker has been in office for one month and laid out a bold plan to cut crime. He vowed to pour cops and social services into violent hot spots around the city. His goals: Crack down on crime and provide more recreation, job training, entertainment, and other activities to improve the health of neighborhoods.<\/div>\n<p>(Todd Plitt, USA TODAY)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\">\n<div class=\"snap-start snap-always\" data-slide-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"snap-start snap-always\" data-slide-index=\"1\">\n<div class=\"relative overflow-hidden\">\n<div class=\"absolute inset-0 blur-3xl\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"object-contain object-center\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/5g4tM.hp3RT3gJmbvsBh1w--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTc1NjtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/usa_today_slideshows_242\/bc90018c67ecc43d3063631291469520\" alt=\"\" data-nimg=\"fill\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm sr-only pr-2.5 text-tertiary\">\n<div>\n<div>Newark Mayor Cory Booker addresses attendees of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC on Sept. 4, 2012.<\/div>\n<p>(H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"size-full shrink-0\" data-inview=\"false\">\n<div class=\"snap-start snap-always\" data-slide-index=\"41\">\n<div class=\"snap-start snap-always\" data-slide-index=\"41\">\n<div class=\"relative overflow-hidden\">\n<div class=\"absolute inset-0 blur-3xl\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"object-contain object-center\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/3xhecacVxKbsB9sXTMwIbA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY2ODtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/usa_today_slideshows_242\/6396e039473c9dacdf0b7e9aa0142056\" alt=\"\" data-nimg=\"fill\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm sr-only pr-2.5 text-tertiary\">\n<div>\n<div>Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) speaks to protestors gather outside the Supreme Court as the Justices hearing arguments in Monsanto Company v. Durnell, on April 27, 2026, in Washington, DC. The\u00caSupreme Court\u00cawill decide whether to block thousands of lawsuits alleging Monsanto failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller could cause cancer.<\/div>\n<p>(Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"absolute right-3 top-1\/2 z-1 -translate-y-1\/2 md:right-6\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mx-4 md:mx-0\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"my-2 flex items-center justify-between\">\n<h2 class=\"text-base font-bold text-primary\">A look at Cory Booker&#8217;s political career<\/h2>\n<div class=\"whitespace-nowrap text-sm\"><span class=\"ml-1 font-normal text-primary\"><span class=\"font-bold text-brand\">1<\/span>\u00a0of\u00a042<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relative text-sm line-clamp-2 pr-2.5 text-tertiary\">\n<div>\n<div>Newark Mayor Cory Booker speaks with a USA Today reporter in his City Hall office on July 19, 2006. Booker has been in office for one month and laid out a bold plan to cut crime. He vowed to pour cops and social services into violent hot spots around the city. His goals: Crack down on crime and provide more recreation, job training, entertainment, and other activities to improve the health of neighborhoods.<\/div>\n<p>(Todd Plitt, USA TODAY)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Asked whether he still has &#8220;faith&#8221; in Senate Minority Leader\u00a0Chuck Schumer, Booker demurred.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I am telling people left and right we are five months out from election. What is going to make the Republicans gleeful is if we&#8217;re talking about each other in the Democratic Party and not talking about the realities that Americans are facing,&#8221; Booker said. &#8220;I am tired of all this machination about party politics.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">Booker previously argued for &#8216;generational renewal&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Booker\u2019s comments Sunday\u00a0echo statements he made back in March during an appearance on &#8220;Meet the Press&#8221; while promoting his new book, &#8220;Stand.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">At the time, Booker argued that the party needs &#8220;generational renewal&#8221; if it is to bridge increasingly partisan divide in the U.S.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rounded-lg\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/tf6weh0OuJmPabNEpQYC5g--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/usa_today_news_641\/40da95d749d5ad2f16401b9ceea8fa28\" alt=\"Sen. Cory Booker walks on stage to speak during a voter rally for Democratic candidate for governor, Mikie Sherrill, at Essex County College in Newark on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025.\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><button class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\" data-rapid_p=\"17\" data-y-link-id=\"0qxm9t71ui4k7j0wh2r5\" data-v9y=\"1\"><\/button><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<div>Sen. Cory Booker walks on stage to speak during a voter rally for Democratic candidate for governor, Mikie Sherrill, at Essex County College in Newark on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025.<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I\u2019m proud of so many things that my Democratic colleagues are doing, but as a whole, our party has failed this moment,&#8221;\u00a0Booker told host Kristen Welker.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;It is time for a new vision of our country that&#8217;s far more uniting, that brings people together, doesn&#8217;t deepen divides,&#8221; Booker said. &#8220;I really believe this is a time where we need new leadership, new moral imagination, to pull our country together.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">What was in the DNC&#8217;s 2024 autopsy?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Booker\u2019s more recent comments come days after the DNC\u00a0released a much-anticipated autopsy\u00a0explaining the 2024 presidential election loss of former Vice President Kamala Harris to President\u00a0Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The\u00a0192-page draft document\u00a0outlines existing conventional wisdom about the contest and leaves blank entire sections, such as the conclusion. But it does assign some blame, in particular to former President\u00a0Joe Biden&#8217;s political operation in the White House for failing to properly set up Harris as the party&#8217;s standard bearer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">DNC Chair\u00a0Ken Martin\u00a0had been criticized by committee members for refusing to release the postmortem analysis. He stood by that choice for months, saying it would be a distraction ahead of the midterm elections.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rounded-lg\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/4XKWDtr90cRyEp91GfnhZw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/usa_today_news_641\/3bcdc8d576ce0b2568db656f4650c92e\" alt=\"Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Ken Martin speaks on stage during a campaign rally for Democratic candidate for New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill, in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., November 1, 2025\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><button class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\" data-rapid_p=\"23\" data-y-link-id=\"0iqx1f30a2pm5s1b515k\" data-v9y=\"1\"><\/button><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 line-clamp-2 pr-2.5\">\n<div>Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Ken Martin speaks on stage during a campaign rally for Democratic candidate for New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill, in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., November 1, 2025<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He eventually relented though,\u00a0writing in a May 21 Substack post\u00a0that withholding the document created &#8220;an even bigger distraction&#8221; while reiterating it doesn&#8217;t meet party standards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won\u2019t meet your standards,&#8221; Martin said. &#8220;I don\u2019t endorse what&#8217;s in this report, or what\u2019s left out of it. I could not in good faith put the DNC\u2019s stamp of approval on it. But transparency is paramount.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Contributing: Phillip M. Bailey,\u00a0USA TODAY<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Drew Pittock covers national trending news for USA TODAY. He can be reached at DPittock@usatodayco.com.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:\u00a0Booker says Democrats are &#8216;desperately&#8217; needing new leadership<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The\u00a0midterm elections\u00a0are less than six months away, and one Democratic senator is sounding the alarm on the party\u2019s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":3212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,4,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-politics","category-us"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3211"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3213,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3211\/revisions\/3213"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}