Democratic mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Cory Booker, has somehow become the face of the Republican National Committee’s latest online campaign. The RNC released an online petition Monday titled “I Stand With Corey” in support of job creation and free enterprise.
The petition went up less than 24 hours after Booker criticized President Obama’s campaign tactics during a “Meet the Press” appearance, in which he called Obama’s attack of Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital “nauseating.”
The political left and right pounced, with people like former Obama adviser David Axelrod calling Booker “just wrong” on the issue and the RNC adopting the mayor as an unlikely mascot.
Booker’s face features prominently on the petition, which urges citizens not to “let the Obama campaign silence support for job creation.”
RNC spokesperson Kirsten Kukowski told Yeas & Nays that they were happy to take advantage of the opportunity. “We immediately knew we had to make sure voters understand that even Obama supporters don’t like his attacks on private enterprise,” she said.
Asked if the Newark mayor had contacted them about the petition, Kukowski said, “[I] doubt we’ve heard from the Booker camp based on their attempts to silence Booker yesterday with the video.” (Booker’s office had put out a video walking back some of the mayor’s statements.)
As of press time, the Booker’s office had not responded to a request for comment.
