Washington (CNN) It was the final question during Sen. Cory Booker's interview with The New York Times editorial board: Who has broken his heart?

In response, Booker delivered an emotional answer about the pain of witnessing the deaths of young black men.

"Look, I have this firm belief that if America hasn't broken your heart, you don't love her enough," he said. "And living in Newark for the last 20 years, I mean, I've been broken, shattered, have moments where I wanted to give up. And a lot of them have just involved the deaths of the ones I remember most, the ones that still hurt me, that reflect on the deaths of young black men."

The New Jersey Democrat made the comments during a December interview with the Times that took place before he ended his 2020 presidential campaign . The publication said they decided to release the interview "because we thought, after the interview, that Senator Booker was an important voice in the race that had gotten lost on the debate stage."



Booker, whose campaign focused on changing the criminal justice system and ending gun violence , shared a story he often tells about Hassan Washington , a teenager who was shot and killed. He reflected on how Washington reminded him of his father, Cary Booker , and how he tried to mentor him and other young boys. He also opened up about the moment he learned the teenager was dead.

Before he dropped out of the 2020 race, @CoryBooker answered the @nytimes editorial board's question: Who has broken your heart? Read the full transcript: https://t.co/uvS2fV2nuK #TheWeeklyNYT pic.twitter.com/rEpzG9wlEC — New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) January 20, 2020

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