Sen. Cory Booker jumped into the 2020 Democratic presidential primary in dramatic fashion with a 2-minute video that captures Booker's high-energy, upbeat style and portrays himself as grounded in the low-income inner-city he calls home.
The video starts with a lone teenage drum major, banging a drum in a school hallway. Booker is seen walking through the streets of Newark, New Jersey, as he narrates, "In America, we have a common pain, but what we're lacking is a sense of common purpose." Then in a pitch-perfect man-of-the-people moment, we get this seemingly impromptu exchange with a New Jersey constituent on the street:
"Cory!" "What's up?" "2020" "Amen!"
The African-American Booker then recounts how his family was discriminated against when trying to buying a home, but "a group of white lawyers" inspired by the civil rights movement came to their aid "and they changed the course of my entire life."
The drum majors in the school hallway grow up in number as Booker recalls his father's advice, "never forget where you came from" as reason to live in the inner-city and "fight slumlords and help families stay in their homes." He says he's "the only senator who goes home to a low-income, inner-city community," as a barber gleefully shaves his head.
More and more drummers are shown, in homes, on the street, in a school auditorium as Booker sketches out his vision for America, that "together, we will rise."
After only a few hours, the video had racked up more than 1.5 million views on Booker's Twitter feed.
The video starts with a lone teenage drum major, banging a drum in a school hallway. Booker is seen walking through the streets of Newark, New Jersey, as he narrates, "In America, we have a common pain, but what we're lacking is a sense of common purpose." Then in a pitch-perfect man-of-the-people moment, we get this seemingly impromptu exchange with a New Jersey constituent on the street:
"Cory!" "What's up?" "2020" "Amen!"
The African-American Booker then recounts how his family was discriminated against when trying to buying a home, but "a group of white lawyers" inspired by the civil rights movement came to their aid "and they changed the course of my entire life."
The drum majors in the school hallway grow up in number as Booker recalls his father's advice, "never forget where you came from" as reason to live in the inner-city and "fight slumlords and help families stay in their homes." He says he's "the only senator who goes home to a low-income, inner-city community," as a barber gleefully shaves his head.
More and more drummers are shown, in homes, on the street, in a school auditorium as Booker sketches out his vision for America, that "together, we will rise."
After only a few hours, the video had racked up more than 1.5 million views on Booker's Twitter feed.