Age: 49

Experience: U.S. Senator from New Jersey (2013-present), Mayor of Newark, New Jersey (2006-2013)

Fun Fact: Booker has made appearances as a television actor, appearing on a 2015 episode of “Parks and Recreation and a 2017 episode of “Being Mary Jane.”

The senator from New Jersey, whose “Spartacus moment” during the Kavanaugh hearings went viral on social media, announced his campaign on February 1, 2019. At the center of Booker’s campaign lies criminal justice reform, specifically ending the War on Drugs and enacting policies that aim to reduce mass incarceration. Booker is a vegan, and also supports the Green New Deal, calling it “bold” and comparing it to the moon landing. Booker also supports other progressive policies, such as Medicare for All and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Booker’s biggest policy idea so far is a plan to reduce income inequality known as the American Opportunity Accounts Act, or “baby bonds.” The plan would give all American children a low-risk, Treasury-managed account of $1,000 at birth, with the possibility of additional funds being added based on family income. Holders of these accounts wouldn’t be able to access the funds until age 18, and would only be able to use them for “allowable uses,” such as education or homeownership.

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