WASHINGTON — A day after U.S. Sen. Cory Booker introduced comprehensive legislation to further overhaul the criminal justice system, the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate delivered a message to supporters.

“The scales of justice in America haven’t ever been balanced, but if we can come together to pass this legislation, we can finally restore justice to our justice system,” Booker, D-N.J., wrote on Friday. “That is what it means to dream big. Raise your hand to say you support my plan — and let’s raise our voices together.”

The preceding week, Booker sent out a fundraising email on the same day he reintroduced legislation ending the federal ban on marijuana.

“These laws fracture communities, destroy families, and make us all less safe — it’s time we fix this broken system," this email read. “I need your voice with mine on this — sign on today and join the call to pass the Marijuana Justice Act.”

In introducing such high-profile bills, Booker has been signaling his legislative priorities — and his need for money to run for president.

“Any sitting legislator is going to seek support for their agenda," said Ben Dworkin, director of Rowan University’s Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship. “If he was just running for re-election, he would be making the same pitch for support about the work he’s been doing in Washington.”

Still, the close proximity of a bill introduction and a fundraising appeal didn’t sit well with good government groups.

“I wish he wouldn’t simultaneously introduce legislation and then use it as a fundraising vehicle,” said Craig Holman, who lobbies on campaign finance issues for Public Citizen, a watchdog and advocacy group. “The legislative process ought to at least be at arm’s length from the fundraising process."

Campaign spokesman Jeff Giertz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

With so many Democrats in the race, and possibly more to come, an early test of their viability will be the amount of money they will be able to raise through the end of March. Those figures are due at the Federal Election Commission by April 15.

Booker played a major role in enacting legislation last December that provided alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders and offered some of those already in prison a chance to get out early.

His newest bill built on that by shortening sentences for nonviolent offenders, helping those released from prison find work and get the tools they need to succeed. sealing or expunging records of some convicted of nonviolent drug offenses, and improving improve training for law enforcement officers in areas such as use of force and racial bias.

He was an early advocate for removing marijuana from federal list of controlled substances, where it has been since 1970, alongside heroin, ecstasy and LSD. That move would end federal prohibition and leave it up to states to forge their own marijuana policies. His Marijuana Justice Act immediately was co-sponsored by four other Democratic presidential candidates.

“You can give a speech and say. ‘This what I want to do on criminal justice, this is what I want to do on marijuana,’” Dworkin said. “You have the opportunity to do it as a member of the Senate.”

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

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