Cory Booker’s Campaign May Be on Its Last Legs

The race for the Democratic nomination for president is
getting tighter, and the next one to drop out might be Sen. Cory Booker.

According to a memo
to staff and supporters published on Saturday, Booker’s campaign needs to
raise $1.7 million by Sept. 30 to close out the third quarter, or the senator
likely will drop out. That leaves a narrow window of less than 10 days to take
action.

“Here’s the real talk: We have reached a critical moment,
and time is running out,” the memo, written by Booker’s campaign manager,
Addisu Demissie, said. “It’s now or never: The next 10 days will determine
whether Cory Booker can stay in this race and compete to win the nomination.”

Demissie continued:

While we invested early in building an outstanding
organization in our Newark headquarters and the February early states, other
campaigns have, in recent weeks, surpassed us in scale and begun spending on
paid persuasion efforts online and on television.

Between that and the likely increase in the DNC’s
debate-qualifying thresholds, which would require significant funds to meet, it
is probable there are only four campaigns in this race with the money necessary
to build and sustain the national organization needed to win the nomination.

I’ll be blunt: We aren’t among them today, but with your
help, we can be.

According to Politico, the acknowledgment is both a
self-described act of transparency by the Booker campaign and a strategy to boost
badly needed fundraising. Also, Booker’s polling has hovered at about 3%
nationally, while other candidates like former Vice President Joe Biden and
Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have continued to dominate
the race.

In addition to these three candidates, Pete Buttigieg also is strong
among the field in terms of fundraising, according to Reuters.

In related news, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced
on Friday that he is ending
his presidential bid.

Booker joined the remaining Democratic candidates on
Saturday at the Polk
County Steak Fry in Des Moines,
Iowa, the largest caucus event in the state so far
in this cycle. He delivered an impassioned speech centered
on his message of love and on his family’s struggles while he was growing
up.

He also attempted to draw a distinction between
Democrats and Donald Trump. “So, this election, we Democrats have to understand
we cannot define ourselves by what we’re against or who we’re against. We must
define ourselves by who we are and what we are for,” he said.