Cory Booker has so far lagged in polling in his efforts to win the Democratic presidential nomination. But Booker is saying he wouldn’t accept an offer to run as vice president if the candidate at the top of the ticket was also a man.
As Politico reports, Booker said the Democrats need a diverse ticket and therefore he’d be unwilling to accept an offer from a male presidential nominee. Booker said he was also opposed to the Democrats putting up an all-white ticket—again in the interests of diversity.
There are currently six women seeking the party’s nomination for president, with senators Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren considered among the strongest candidates in the field.
Booker made his comments in answer to a question of whether or not he would accept an offer from to join the ticket if former Vice President Joe Biden won the party’s nomination. Booker and the former vice president have been feuding over Biden’s rhetoric around how he worked with segregationist senators on unrelated policy issues even while he was opposed to their beliefs on race.
Quote of the Day: “We’re not saying we’re going to rush out and try line-item veto overrides. We want to see what he’s doing,” — Senate President Steve Sweeney, on the ongoing budget dispute with Gov. Phil Murphy.
‘Real ID’ Not Ready for NJ Public Yet Amid Testing
Progress has been made, but June will have come and gone before New Jersey drivers in the general public have access to a Real ID, MVC Chief Administrator Sue Fulton said Thursday.
NJ101.5 Read more
Cory Booker and Beto O’Rourke Showed Off Their Spanish Skills at Democratic Debate. Then Came the Memes.
There was talk of the economy and immigration, debate over climate change and clashes over health care. But there was also a lot of Spanish.
Inquirer Read more
No NJ Shutdown: Phil Murphy Says He Will Sign a Budget by Sunday Deadline
Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday he will avoid a government shutdown and sign a budget by the Sunday deadline, putting to rest growing fears that intra-party fighting in Trenton will take a toll on the public next week.
The Record Read more
Add-Ons to 2020 Budget Bill Add Up to $100M
The time-honored tradition of inserting last-minute spending items into the state budget is alive and well in Trenton, as lawmakers made dozens of small additions that contribute more than $100 million to the spending bill that now awaits action from Gov. Phil Murphy.
NJSpotlight Read more
Murphy and Sweeney Reach Agreement to Protect Obamacare in NJ
The icy relationship between Gov. Phil Murphy and state Senate President Stephen Sweeney thawed briefly on Thursday to allow legislation to move forward that would permit New Jersey to run its own Obamacare insurance exchange in 2020.
NJ.com Read more
New Jersey Lawmakers Pass Tweak to Airbnb Tax That Would Offer Relief for Some Shore Rentals
A law offering relief to some New Jersey Shore homeowners and renters affected by a new tax on short-term rentals is poised to become law, after the Assembly passed a bill Thursday and sent it to Gov. Phil Murphy.
Inquirer Read more
Murphy: ‘Stone Cold Crazy Stupid’ to Cut Community College Grants
Of all the changes the Legislature made to the spending side of his proposed 2020 state budget, Gov. Phil Murphy bemoans none more vociferously than the reduction to the line item for the tuition-free community college program.
NJ101.5 Read more
Stop ‘Making Black and Brown People Second-Class Citizens’: Officials Push Criminal Justice Changes
Marijuana decriminalization and expungement have gotten the headlines lately, but those two issues are just the beginning of a broad social justice agenda being pushed forward by the black and Latino caucuses in the state Legislature.
NJ.com Read more
All PATH Train Service Suspended Due to Air Compressor Failure
All PATH train service has been suspended Thursday, officials said. PATH officials said an air compressor failure is the reason for the suspension.
The Record Read more
Gov. Murphy: No NJ Transit Fare Hikes for a Year, and Millions on Way for Improvements
Gov. Phil Murphy made two things clear at the NJ Transit press conference Thursday: No fare hikes for at least a year, and he will be signing off on the $50 million increase proposed for the agency in the 2020 budget.
The Record Read more
After the Death of 11 Kids, NJ Nursing Facilities Must Come Up With a Plan to Deal With Future Viral Outbreaks
In response to the delays in reacting to the deadly virus that swept through a New Jersey pediatric care facility last fall leading to the deaths of 11 children, the Senate approved a measure Thursday that would require nursing homes to develop emergency response plans.
NJ.com Read more
Here’s What Happens to the Minimum Wage in NJ Starting July 1
July 1, hundreds of thousands of New Jersey workers are scheduled for a raise.
Daily Record Read more
Lakewood Schools Can’t Afford to Stay Open Past March, Leaders Say
The Lakewood school board approved a 2019-2020 budget this week that it doesn’t have the money to fund.
Asbury Park Press Read more
NJ Could Do Away With $191,584 Limit on School Superintendent Salaries
The state Legislature voted Thursday to remove a $191,584 cap on school superintendent salaries in New Jersey, sending a bill to Gov. Phil Murphy that would undo one of former Gov. Chris Christie’s most controversial education policies.
NJ.com Read more
Having a Baby? New Jersey Releases First Report Card on Care at Each Hospital
New information about childbirth care in each New Jersey hospital—including how often women deliver via Cesarean section and how frequently they develop complications, was released Thursday by the state Department of Health.
Daily Record Read more
Former Elmwood Park Mayor Seeks to Enroll in Pretrial Intervention Program
Elmwood Park Mayor Frank Caramagna, who is facing charges of interfering with the 2017 election, will be applying for a six-month Pretrial Intervention program, his lawyer told a judge on Thursday.
The Record Read more
Garfield Joins the Ranks of Towns Banning Plastics in North Jersey
Another North Jersey municipality has hopped on the bandwagon to ban plastics: the city introduced an ordinance Tuesday that would ban single-use plastic bags and straws beginning in 2020.
The Record Read more
