Booker a hit with Iowa Democrats

By Erin Murphy, Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau

PHILADELPHIA - As Cory Booker left a room of Iowa Democrats, shaking hands and snapping selfies as he went, a man approached him and declared, 'I hope to work for you in 2024!”

During this week's Democratic National Convention, Booker has helped his rising political star among Democrats, including from first-in-the-nation voting Iowa.

The U.S. senator from New Jersey gave a well-received address to the convention this week. Wednesday morning, he was similarly well-received as he spoke to Iowa Democrats.

Booker's star has been rising for years on the national scene, starting with his work as mayor of Newark and continuing in the Senate. Recent media reports included him in the speculation of possible running mates for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

His reception among Democrats this week will only further speculation that he could someday run for president.

'I think in those speeches he really stuck the landing,” said Iowa delegate Zach Wahls of Iowa City. 'People in the (Iowa) delegation, (Bernie) Sanders and Clinton supporters both seemed to really resonate with what he had to say.”

Wahls described Booker as 'an interesting blend” of New Jersey, Southern preacher and social media guru. He is known for his Twitter account, which has some 1.7 million followers.

Josh Hughes, a 19-year-old Iowa delegate, said Booker seems approachable.

'If he would ever decide to come to Iowa ... I certainly think that he would fare pretty well, honestly,” Hughes said. 'He seems down to earth. He's very much a very personable guy, and I think that matters to a lot of people.”

Booker's convention speech Monday night, in which he drew on the famous Maya Angelou poem, 'I will rise,” drew rave reviews from Democrats, although it was soon eclipsed by an even more roundly applauded address by first lady Michelle Obama.

'I think that when he spoke at the convention, he really put a lot of emphasis on the powers of unity and love as a country, as opposed to fear and division,” Hughes said. 'And I think that's a really powerful message, especially in 2016, and I think that's something where Democrats are going to really be able to do well and resonate. So I think that bodes really well for him.”