Junior United States Senator Cory Booker is a former Newark mayor, who in a recent speech, people speculated that he may consider running for the 2020 presidential election. The most important factor that everyone is focusing on though, is his openness about his faith and religion, especially within politics and the Democratic party.
According to the article, “Cory Booker could be a candidate for the ‘religious left,’” by Jack Jenkins, Booker’s directness with his religion is uncommon within the Democratic party in Washington. According to the article “Religion and the Democratic Party: It’s complicated,” by Julie Bourbon, less than a third of Democrats do not associate with a religion. On the Democratic side, there are not many individuals that voice their religious values and views, if they affiliate with one, especially within politics. Many Democrats are edgy with politicians who use faith as their platform and inspiration. Booker’s beliefs have become central in his political identity as well because he thinks that politics and religion are not mutually exclusive.
Booker was raised in an African Methodist Episcopal church; however, he is now a member of a National Baptist church. The article states that Booker has studied many different religions, but what he values in life is directed by his belief in the Bible and Jesus. With his background, he became an influential leader within left-leaning religion and religious gatherings. Booker says that “religion is a way to reach across the aisle,” (Jenkins, 2018) and he is using it to try to push for civic grace.
This article links to a speech by Booker and the main focus of the speech was on faithfulness and grace, specifically civic grace, which is one of his main focuses. Within this same speech, Booker cited a verse from the book of Amos to close with. Booker doesn’t just put his faith out in the open, but he also pulls ideas from his religion to help support his stances.
The problem that people may see with Booker is that he is not a usual Democrat; however, he is representing the religious left. With this, the religious left could gain more attention and power within politics, which could influence change within the party itself. The only problem with this is trying to shape the religious left into an “organized political force” (Jenkins, 2018). If he were to run during the presidential election, he would be one of the first Democratic candidates “to actively cultivate support form religious progressives” (Jenkins, 2018). With his religious background and being so open about his faith, he may also be able to get voters from the other side of the spectrum: Conservatives.
Relating to our discussion about Christian Reconstructionism, having someone in high power within the government, who is known for their religious beliefs, make some people unsteady. This is because that individual can change or influence other’s ideas, which can lead to deeper change within the government. People may feel this way about Cory Booker because if he were to run for president and get elected, he would continue to use his faith within his new title. His faith could become highly influential within the government, as well as within society.
Jenkins, J. (2018, October 24). Cory Booker could be a candidate for the ‘religious left’. Retrieved from https://religionnews.com/2018/10/24/cory-booker-fashions-himself-as-a-candidate-for-the-religious-left/
Bourbon, J. (2018, June 20). Religion and the Democratic Party: It’s complicated. Retrieved from https://www.ncronline.org/news/politics/religion-and-democratic-party-its-complicated
contemporaryamericanreligion 
I think that it is a good observation that Booker could use his religious openness to appeal to conservatives. In a presidential race it’s important to appeal to aspects of both ends of the spectrum when its comes to religious ideology, so this could give Booker a fighting chance amongst the American electorate.
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This is incredibly interesting topic to post about, with how few religious democratic politicians there are in the US. This is particularly interesting because even in the past when there have been openly religious democrats- especially Christian- they have been unable to make any traction in the political sphere because of the lack of support from their affiliated party. What a really interesting article to find and post about!
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I never realized how heavily I associate Christianity with the Republican party, but this article addresses that common stereotype. I think the connection you made to Christian reconstructionism was and interesting point and the fact that having a religiously affiliated president makes people uneasy is a huge factor for Booker.
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Great connection to Christian Reconstructionism Brooke! This is such an interesting article that really puts class discussions into real life perspective. Also, I think it was an interesting talking point when you discussed how Booker may be able to pull votes from Conservatives as well.
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Often times Senator Booker is perceived as solely representative of the progressive left when in reality he appeals to the religious left as well. Should he launch a presidential run in 2020 he will have lots of pull in states like South Carolina, Alabama, Virginia states with high religious liberal populations as well as being early on in the primary calendar.
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This was a very interesting article! I would be interested in hearing the perspective from a voter who wants to vote for someone who has religious ties and motivation because I do believe that voter pool exists. Though, it would be interesting to see if they will switch across the aisle. Will they look deeper into the candidate’s political stances since there could be TWO candidates who campaign for each party with strong religious influences?
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I think someone who could relate to both sides of the political spectrum could encourage young people to start being more active in politics.
I know that is why I do not choose to get involved. Overall great post, and a fascinating topic!
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