Newark Mayor Booker: Christie Is ‘Vulnerable’

Newark Democratic Mayor Cory Booker, who is considering a bid for either New Jersey governor or senator, says GOP Gov. Chris Christie isn’t in as strong a position as he appears.

“We think to any Democrat, Christie is vulnerable,” Booker told CNN’s “Starting Point” program. “And I think as it should be, because there are a lot of issues in the state he’s not falling in line with, from women’s issues, from environmental issues, from really going in a balanced way.”

Booker scoffed at polls showing he’s way behind Christie. For example, Christie led Booker 53 to 43 percent in a Rutgers University poll released last week. And Christie scored a 72 percent approval rating in New Jersey from a Quinnipiac University poll. That’s a record high for any New Jersey governor.

But Booker is undaunted. “The polling showed George Bush I ahead and sailing towards re-election [in 1992],” he said. “If you look at head-to-head matches right now, it doesn’t put him that far over 50 percent.”

Booker said he will decide whether to run for governor or senator within the next two weeks.

“I’m pulling a lot of people I trust around me and trying to make a decision simply on this: Where do I think I can make the most difference in the city I love, the state I love, the nation I’ve pledged my life to?” he said.

The governor’s race will be held in 2013. If Booker runs for the Senate, it would be for Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s seat in 2014. There is talk that Lautenberg, 88, will retire rather than run for re-election.

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{Matzav.com Newscenter}