To the Editor:

I ’m a card-carrying leftist and a big fan of Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. But Michelle Goldberg (“Why Not Cory Booker?,” nytimes.com, Aug. 1) is right: Cory Booker deserves a good long look.

Mr. Booker is far more progressive than he’s given credit for. Ms. Goldberg notes that Greenpeace gives him high marks for his climate plan. He’s the best in the field on criminal justice reform. He’s also for taxing capital gains at the same rate as ordinary income — which would be a huge progressive change. He has a plan to prod local governments to get rid of exclusionary zoning to expand the housing supply. He’s great on gun control. It’s odd that so far Kamala Harris, who is to the right of Mr. Booker on many of these issues, has gotten much more love from liberals.

There’s another interesting thing about Mr. Booker: He’s been endorsed by every Democratic member of the New Jersey congressional delegation. If the people who know a politician best all like him, that’s usually a pretty good sign.

Steve Novick

Portland, Ore.

To the Editor:

Re “Hmm. Warren and Buttigieg on the Ticket?,” by Nicholas Kristof (column, Aug. 1):

The Democratic front-runners won’t beat Donald Trump. Joe Biden is a good guy and someone whom people trust, but he’s sadly too old for this. Elizabeth Warren is smart and articulate, but somewhat strident and pretty far left. Kamala Harris is a good debater, but I think she has the Hillary likability problem.