Booker (D-N.J.), who was first elected to the Senate in 2013 and reelected in 2014, appears to be seriously considering a run for the presidency in 2020 and has already done some early stump work. | M. Scott Mahaskey/POLITICO New Jersey Democrats making sure Booker can run for president, Senate at same time

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Democrats are clearing the way for Sen. Cory Booker to run for reelection and president at the same time — and they’re not being bashful about their motivations.

State lawmakers on Monday quickly introduced and advanced a bill that that would ensure no one could mount a legal challenge should Booker — or, in theory, another federal elected official — decide to run for the White House while trying to retain his current job.


The measure could land on Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk next week, and his office has already said he’s willing to sign it.

The proposal is meant to bolster existing law, supporters insist, and doesn’t constitute a change in policy. Still, they wanted to make sure there were no issues down the road.

“Why is the Booker bill needed?” state Sen. Paul Sarlo, chairman of his chamber’s budget committee, asked after the panel voted along partisan lines to advance the measure. “To be honest with you, it really clarifies what the law already says.”

Booker (D-N.J.), who was first elected to the Senate in 2013 and reelected in 2014, appears to be seriously considering a run for the presidency in 2020 and has already done some early stump work. A former mayor of Newark, Booker has made several high-profile appearances in recent weeks, including several stops in Iowa. In the last few days, he campaigned for Democratic candidates in Florida and Georgia.

The loquacious, coffee-chugging member of the Senate Judiciary Committee has already drawn attacks from President Donald Trump. Booker has raised nearly $7.7 million for his 2020 reelection effort, more than any other senator up for reelection that year, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

A spokesman for Booker did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.

The bill in Trenton, just a paragraph long, is sponsored by the Legislature’s two top lawmakers: Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, both Democrats.

Sweeney, a union leader from South Jersey, said he will support Booker if he runs for president. Coughlin, an attorney from Central New Jersey, said he hasn’t decided.

“We want to make sure if we have a candidate in the state of New Jersey that’s looking at it, and exploring it, that they won’t be held back,” Sweeney said at the Statehouse Monday. “It would be wonderful to have someone from New Jersey run for president — or be successful running for president.”

(That last part appeared to be an unintended crack at former Gov. Chris Christie, once a leading contender for the presidency who, in the end, didn’t make it past New Hampshire in the 2016 Republican primary. Christie left office in January after hitting the term limit and is now a contributor to ABC News and a lawyer in private practice.)

Murphy, a liberal former Goldman Sachs executive who typically doesn’t take positions on pending legislation, said he’s willing to sign this measure.

“Existing law already allows a candidate for the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives to also run for the Presidency or Vice Presidency,” Mahen Gunaratna, a spokesman for the governor, said in a statement. “The Governor supports legislation that would confirm that interpretation.”

Republicans on the two legislative committees that advanced the bill on Monday all voted “no,” but no one spoke up to say why. Democrats control the Legislature, so their opposition wouldn’t have meant much.

“For me, it’s run for one or the other,” said state Sen. Declan O’Scanlon, a Republican from Monmouth County, near the Jersey Shore. “We do that with most other positions. That’s my bottom line. They’re obviously doing this specifically for one individual. Make the case to me from a policy perspective, and I’ll hear it out, but no one’s made that case to me yet.”

State laws now limit most officials to holding one elected job at a time, and also limits their ability to seek two posts at the same time. Some in New Jersey remained grandfathered in to multiple posts, including Sarlo, who is both a state senator and the mayor of Wood-Ridge, a small town in Bergen County.

Despite joining others in calling the proposal the “Booker bill,” Sarlo insists it could apply to others. He could seek the presidency someday, he said, after moving up to some other federal office.

“I may run one day,” joked Sarlo, a construction engineer who speaks with a thick, North Jersey accent. “I’ll be the first Italian to run.”