- New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker's popularity as a possible 2028 Democratic candidate shot up following his record-breaking Senate floor speech.
- Booker is now backed by 11% of Democratic respondents, placing second behind Kamala Harris with 28%.
- Both Harris and Booker had unsuccessful presidential bids in 2020.
Following Sen. Cory Booker’s record-breaking 25-hour long speech on the floor of the Senate, the New Jersey Democrat has shot up in popularity in a recent poll asking about the 2028 Democratic presidential primary.
A recent poll from Echelon Insights asked likely Democratic voters who they would vote for in the 2028 Democratic primary if held today. Booker was backed by 11% of respondents, placing him in second behind former Vice President Kamala Harris who had 28% support.
In the same poll taken last month, Booker had 2% of respondents choose him, making him level with about a dozen other Democratic figures with low single-digit support, per The Hill. Harris’ number also dropped from last month when she was at 33%.
The poll also included a hypothetical head-to-head match up between Harris and Booker. The former VP was backed by 54% of respondents while 34% backed Booker.
There were around 20 other Democratic figures also listed in the poll, who all received single digits. Those who polled above 3% were Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (7%), Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (5%), and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (4%).
On the Republican side, the poll showed Vice President JD Vance leading with 47% of Republican respondents backing him.
The poll was conducted between April 10-14 with a sample size of 1,014 likely voters, and a sample size of 447 Democrats, per The New Jersey Globe.
Booker’s record-breaking speech
On April 1, Booker broke the record for longest Senate speech in history after holding the chamber floor for over 25 hours. His speech was not a filibuster, because it wasn’t delaying a specific vote or confirmation.
He spent the time criticizing different policies the Trump administration has implemented over the past few months. He also criticized spending cuts by Republicans.
He broke the previous record of 24 hours and 18 minutes held by former South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond who filibustered against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
His speech drew attention to him and helped cement him as a strong figure and leader within the party.
Who is Cory Booker?
Booker was first elected to the U.S. Senate representing New Jersey in a special election in 2013 and was reelected in both 2014 and 2020, according to his website. He became his state’s senior senator after Bob Menendez resigned in 2024 because he was facing criminal charges.
Before joining the Senate he served as the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, from 2006 until 2013 when he was elected as senator.
He launched a campaign for the 2020 presidential election in early 2019 but later dropped out of the race in January 2020, ahead of the Democratic primary. Harris also pursued an unsuccessful presidential bid in 2020.