Report: Booker leaning toward Senate run

By Alexandra Jaffe - 12/18/12 12:19 PM ET

Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) is reportedly looking toward a bid for Sen. Frank Lautenberg's (D-N.J.) seat, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The Journal reports the rising Democratic star could announce the formation of an exploratory committee as early as this week.

The report speculates that his announcement could come in the form of a tweet. The mayor is well-known for his Twitter account, which he uses to respond directly to supporters and citizens in Newark looking for help from his office.

Booker has been considering a run for higher office for some time, but it's unclear whether he would choose to pursue the governor's mansion or a seat in the Senate. The former would pit him against well-liked New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who led Booker in a hypothetical gubernatorial matchup by 24 percentage points in one recent poll.

The Journal cites three sources familiar with Booker's conversations, who told the newspaper that although Booker is leaning toward a Senate run, he "has been talking about the governor's race with strategists both steeped in New Jersey politics and independent from it, and he could change his mind at the last minute and still run for the state's powerful executive position next year."

But running for Senate could be complicated for the mayor as well, as Lautenberg, the incumbent Democrat, has not yet announced his plans for 2014. He'll be 90 years old on Election Day and is considered one of a handful of long-serving Democrats likely to announce their retirement before 2014, though he has thus far given no indication he won't be running to keep his seat.

However, a recent poll gave Booker a wide lead over Lautenberg, with 59 percent support to Lautenberg's 22 percent. Though nearly two-thirds of New Jersey Democratic voters approve of the senator's job performance, only about half that believe he should seek reelection in 2014.

And in a primary match-up against Lautenberg, Booker would be able to mitigate the typical advantage of incumbency: Deep campaign coffers. His national profile and connections would make it easier for the mayor to raise the funds needed to take down an incumbent.