SHENENDOAH, Iowa (KMTV) — Aspiration is certainly something Senator Cory Booker brings to the presidential race.
The New Jersey senator told those at the Depot in Shenandoah, that if he becomes president, he'd also take compassion and love to the White House.
In his stump speech, he also largely avoided policy, instead focusing on big ideas. He did say, whoever wins the nomination should take ideas from all candidates in the race.
"Whoever becomes your president is probably going to steal the 90-hundred policy ideas, platforms that each of us have all total, they better be taking the best ideas from the whole lot to bear in our policies,” says Booker.
The first term senator and former Mayor of Newark also mentioned that Hillary Clinton failed to bring out the African-American vote that President Obama got. He says that cost the Democrats the White House in 2016.
"As you're thinking about your decisions, think about who's going to inspire people to get out and vote,” says Booker.
The 60-plus in attendance seemed engaged and enthusiastic during the town hall, including Jeff Butler, who's seen a lot of candidates speak and was impressed with Booker.
"I like his passion he tells the truth, he's intelligent, he is compassionate and I think he knows where the vibe of America is right now,” says Butler.
Butler says he has a top three and prefers a younger candidate like Booker, but hasn't completely made up his mind.
"I'm not a progressive, I'm more of a moderate, so it has to be workable, it has to make sense, it has to have integrity to it and I have to believe in the candidate,” says Butler.
Booker, who trails a half dozen other candidates in the polls, thinks he can be the one to bring the country together.
"Beating Donald Trump gets us out of a valley, but it doesn't get us to the mountain top, I'm running to go to the mountain."
