TRENTON, N.J. — Newark Mayor Cory Booker on Saturday formally announced he's in the race to finish the U.S. Senate term of the late Frank Lautenberg.The 44-year-old Democrat made his candidacy official at a news conference Saturday in Newark, New Jersey's largest city. He was joined by former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley, a former pro basketball player who for 18 years held the seat Booker is seeking.
Bradley, who endorsed Booker, called him "the right person for the right office at the right time."
Booker began raising money for a Senate run even before Lautenberg, who died Monday, announced retirement plans in February. He had raised $1.9 million by the end of the last reporting period in March.
The only Republican running so far is Steve Lonegan, a former Bogota mayor who runs the New Jersey office of Americans for Prosperity.
Booker, 44, has 1.4 million followers on Twitter – or five for every resident of the city where he's the mayor. He tweets frequently, answering questions about city services, posting about his workouts and, perhaps most often, trying to provide inspiration
