Booker says Senate run not dependent on Sen. Lautenberg's retirement

Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) said his decision about whether to run for the U.S. Senate does not depend on whether Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) decides to run for reelection.

Booker is mulling whether to challenge New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) or run for Lautenberg's seat. He has said he plans to make a decision soon.

On Monday Booker was asked if he would consider running for the Senate if Lautenberg decided to run for reelection.

"Yes, I would absolutely consider. I think the decision I'm making is independent of his intentions," Booker said in an interview with HuffPost Live. "But I am a guy that was brought up by parents that said 'you respect those that deserve a sort of respect.' And Sen. Lautenberg is a guy that every New Jerseyan, — Republican, Democrat, Independent — should give respect and gratitude to because he has dedicated a large measure of his life to serving his country."

Earlier in the day Booker, in a separate interview with CNN, said Christie is "vulnerable" to a strong reelection challenge.

"Christie is vulnerable, as it should be, because there's a lot of issues in the state he's not falling in line with," Booker said. "From women's issues, environmental issues, from really going in a balanced way."

In the same CNN interview Booker said his thinking on whether to run, and where, was about where he could make the most impact.

"I'm putting a lot of people I trust around me, trying to make the decision based simply on this: where I think I can make the most difference in the city I love and the state I love and the nation I pledged my life to," Booker said.

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