Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., just made her presidential announcement and made life that much harder for Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.
Because if he wants the nomination, he will have to distinguish himself from her, and fast.
Both appeal to minority voters. Both captivate audiences with similarly inspiring stories about their upbringing. Both rose to progressive stardom with their grilling of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Unlike Booker though, Harris will say no to dark money. Multiple outlets report that she plans on rejecting assistance from super PACs as well as corporate dollars.
The clearest difference between the two so far, it could become a flash point in the coming primary fight where rejecting PAC money has become a badge of honor. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., built his 2016 campaign on small-dollar donations, rejecting most super PAC dollars and regularly whacking Hillary Clinton over her failure to do so. Harris is the latest in the 2020 crowd to follow in Sanders’ footsteps.
Meanwhile, Booker has been cultivating his relationships with the deep-pocketed donors of Silicon Valley and Wall Street. He hasn’t even entered the race himself but he was the first big beneficiary of big money. The New York Times reported in December that Steve Phillips, a wealthy San Francisco-based Democratic donor, had formed a pro-Booker super PAC called Dream United.
[Also read: Jimmy Carter to Cory Booker: ‘I hope you run for president’]
Booker claimed ignorance at the time with a spokesman telling the New York Times that “any effort to draft him into the race is outside of his control.”
Earlier in the year and like so many presidential hopefuls, Booker also swore off contributions from PAC money. There were some caveats though. While Booker promised to send back corporate contributions, as the Washington Examiner reported, he is more than happy to cash checks from lobbying PACs.
This money will be especially important in a bruising primary that will be as much a slugfest as it is a marathon. With as many as two or three dozen candidates waiting to join the race, contenders will need a deep enough bucket of cash to see them to the finish line.
To stay competitive, super PAC money will be especially important for Booker. As Kevin Robillard of HuffPost points out, he lagged far behind the rest of his Senate colleagues in small-dollar donations at the end of 2018. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., had raised $13.1 million in donations under $200 and Harris, $4.9 million. Meanwhile, Booker had managed just $1.4 million.
When Harris trades barbs with Booker, expect his fondness for corporate funding to be front and center.
