Booker wows Iowa, but hea s had lots of practice Though Sen. Cory…

Though Sen. Cory Booker says he is focused on the 2018 midterm elections, his travels have helped him build connections that could pay off in 2020. Analysis: Cory Booker wowed Iowa, one of many trips he's made that could pay off in 2020 Though Sen. Cory Booker says he is focused on the 2018 midterm elections, his travels have helped him build connections that could pay off in 2020.

In Iowa debut, Booker tells Dems to turn despair into action

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker urged Democrats disappointed by Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to turn their despair into action as he made his national debut in Iowa as a Democratic presidential prospect. Racing from Saturday afternoon's Senate confirmation vote in Washington, Booker breezed into the Iowa Democratic Party's top fall fundraiser to try to make a positive impression on roughly 1,000 party activists.

Letters: Readers debate the merits and faults of Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke

As a lifelong Texan, I've always been proud that we're known as a state full of generous, bighearted people who generally come to each others' aid and defense regardless of political or ideological differences. But the tone and the tactics of Sen. Ted Cruz's campaign are the exact opposite of the people he supposedly serves.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Hugin speaks to reporters Wednesday in Glen Ridge.

WASHINGTON -- After holding off for several days, Senate Republican candidate Bob Hugin supported confirming Judge Brett Kavanaugh as a U.S. Supreme Court justice as lawmakers moved toward a final vote on his nomination. "Based on everything I know now, I would support Judge Kavanaugh as senator," Hugin tweeted on Friday while his Democratic opponent, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez , D-N.J., went to the Senate floor to decry his nomination.

Trump urges supporters to vote in wake of Kavanaugh hearing

President Donald Trump on Saturday turned his embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh into a rallying cry for Republicans to vote in November, saying they can reject the "ruthless and outrageous tactics" he says Democrats used against the judge. "We see this horrible, horrible, radical group of Democrats.

Rachel Mitchell, prosecutor experienced in sex-crimes cases, to…

Senate Republicans announced late Tuesday that Rachel Mitchell, a decorated career sex crimes prosecutor with decades of experience, will handle the questioning of Christine Blasey Ford, the California professor accusing Supreme Court nominee of sexual assault decades ago, at a scheduled hearing on Thursday. Saying he wants the hearing to be a "safe, comfortable, and dignified" environment, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley wrote in a statement that the move would help take politics out of the proceedings.

Eyeing White House, Cory Booker Introduces Himself to Iowa

The Iowa caucuses are well over a year away, but the New Jersey senator is working overtime to make an impression in Iowa and in other states that will be crucial to winning the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. Booker has secured the keynote speaker role at the marquee fall Democratic Party fundraising banquet in Des Moines on Oct. 6. He'll also headline a Democratic fundraiser later in October in South Carolina, which holds the first primary in the South and is a key test of support among black voters.

Booker fuels 2020 talk with South Carolina Dem fundraiser Source: AP

Fueling speculation about his White House ambitions, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker will headline a Democratic fundraiser in South Carolina, which hosts the South's first presidential primary. The Orangeburg County Democratic Party told The Associated Press that Booker is scheduled to attend its annual fundraising gala Oct. 18. That will put him in front of more than 1,000 South Carolina Democrats, including many of the state's most prominent black leaders and activists.

CALmatters Commentary: Feinstein, Harris pursue agendas in Kavanaugh hearings

As fate would decree, both of California's U.S. senators, Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee, both played starring roles in last week's confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and both had personal political agendas. Feinstein is running this year for re-election and needed to be critical enough of President Donald Trump and Kavanaugh to avoid alienating fervently anti-Trump Democratic voters, while maintaining an air of senatorial decorum.

Kavanaugh confirmation fight rallies Democrats to resistance

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh declined to express his opinion on gay marriage when questioned about it by Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey during Thursday's confirmation hearings. WASHINGTON - Democrats don't have the votes to block Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Arizona sees swell in number of African-American candidates

Kiana Maria Sears, middle, a Democrat who is running for the Arizona Corporation Commission, poses for a photo with Aleatheia Mason, left, and Betty Smith, right, during an African-American candidates forum Wednesday, Aug. ... . Democrat candidate for Arizona Corporation Commission Kiana Maria Sears, right, speaks to a voter at a African-American candidates forum Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018, in Phoenix.

At Netroots Nation, Democratic White House hopefuls balance…

At Netroots Nation, the largest annual gathering of liberal activists, the Democratic Party's leading left-wing voices lashed out at the political centrists. "We tried it their way and we lost to a racist extremist," Cynthia Nixon, who is waging a primary challenge against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D, said Friday.