Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker said a lengthy impeachment trial could severely harm his 2020 campaign.
The New Jersey senator said Thursday that it would be a “big, big blow” if he’s unable to attend campaign events in Iowa, the first state to hold its caucuses.
He is one of five senators running for the Democratic Party’s nomination who may have to forgo campaign events ahead of the Feb. 3 caucuses to attend President Trump’s impeachment trial. The impending trial could especially harm Booker’s campaign, as he failed to qualify for December’s debate and has not yet met the polling threshold to appear in next week’s debate.
[Previous coverage: Impeachment set to leave Buttigieg as only top-tier 2020 Democrat campaigning full time]
“It’s going to be a challenging four weeks in the caucus for us,” Booker told the Associated Press. “If we can’t raise more money in this final stretch, we won’t be able to do the things that other campaigns with more money can do to show presence.”
This week, Booker canceled several events in Iowa to attend a briefing on the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Washington, D.C. A lackluster showing in Iowa would make it hard for Booker’s campaign to continue.
“If our pathway to victory ever closes off, I’m not staying in,” he said.
However, he predicted he would surpass expectations in Iowa.
“Whether that’s one, two, three, four, I don’t know. But we will definitely upset expectations,” he said.
