I’ve known Cory Booker since he had (some) hair.

Hey team, I first met Cory nearly 20 years ago when he was a new city councilman and I was a Junior in high school.

I had made a short film honoring Dr. King for my school’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day assembly, and Cory happened to be the assembly’s guest speaker. When Cory saw my video, he asked me to produce his first campaign film.

I headed to Brick Towers, the public housing development where Cory lived and talked with him about his time as a tenant advocate, his hopes for his neighbors, and his vision for Newark. I was quickly convinced of his sincerity and selflessness through my interviews with so many people he fought for and helped.

Me and Cory in his mayor’s race campaign HQ, 2002

If you believe in Cory like I do, please chip in to our campaign. Every dollar will help us reach our $450,000 August fundraising goal.

I continued to work for Cory after I made the film — first as a volunteer on his 2002 mayoral race, then as a staffer on his 2006 mayoral campaign, and went on to work as a policy advisor in the mayor’s office. I was his policy director for his Senate campaign, and led his criminal justice reform efforts before becoming his chief of staff in his Senate office. And now, I’m serving as his senior advisor on the presidential campaign.

I stuck with him all of these years because you won’t find a better leader, or a kinder human being, anywhere.

He’s accomplished big things. He helped guide a city to its greatest economic development boom in generations, all in the midst of the Great Recession. He has passed major bills in the Senate, including the first big criminal justice reform law in decades to move our system in the right direction.

But it’s who he is between the things that make news that make him different. He’s the kind of person who’ll drop everything to help a stranger — I’ve witnessed him stop to help an injured man at the scene of a car accident, invite his neighbors into his home when they lost power during Hurricane Sandy, and buy groceries for people who couldn’t afford them.

He’s the kind of friend who will not only help you plan your over-the-top proposal, but will then officiate your wedding and beat several of your relatives to the hospital when your first child is born.

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Cory with Vicky’s and my son, Drew, shortly after he was born

This is the Cory Booker I know. He is the exact right person to bring decency back to the Oval Office and clean up the mess President Trump will leave behind.

As we get ready for the next debate, I’m excited for more people across our country to get to know Cory. I’ve been running our prep process, and it’s taking Cory away from time he would otherwise spend fundraising to help keep our campaign running. If you could chip in now to help cover that gap, I’d be so grateful.

email=fresnocountydemocrats@yahoo.com&firstname=&lastname=&city=Fresno&state=CA&zip=93721&phone=15594950606&occupation=&employer=”>
Last-minute debate prep in Miami

I first got to know Cory through talking to the people who know him best — and in the years since he’s never let me down. And now, I’m excited to kick off a series of emails sharing our team’s stories to help you get to know Cory better. So join me and my fellow members of Cory’s Crew for this journey, because we’re in it for the long haul.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting Cory.

Matt

Matt Klapper
Senior Advisor
Cory 2020