Booker Campaign Press Release - ICYMI: 2nd New Hampshire Senator Endorses Cory Booker

Manchester, NH -- Yesterday, New Hampshire Senator David Watters announced his endorsement of Cory Booker for president. Watters joins Sen. Jon Morgan, who endorsed Cory last week, as the only two state senators to back a candidate in the 2020 Democratic primary. New Hampshire has 14 Democratic senators in total.

Seacoast Online: Sen. Watters backs Booker for president in 2020
By Paul Steinhauser

CONCORD — A second Democrat in the New Hampshire state Senate is making an endorsement in the wide-open race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

And once again, presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey landed the endorsement.

State Sen. David Watters, of Dover, told Seacoast Media Group on Wednesday he is backing Booker because the Garden State Democrat has "the unique qualities and the really strong character to bring the country together now, to heal our divisions."

"There's such a joy there. And he has really connected with us. He understands New Hampshire people," Watters said. "He really listens. He wants to bring people together."

The state senator shared that he's long kept an eye on Booker, adding "I've really been paying attention to his issues for years. When I saw him get that criminal justice reform bill through, I thought here's somebody that shows the government can work."

And Watters pointed to Booker's "Baby Bonds"proposal, which would give newborns savings accounts that could be worth tens of thousands of dollars by age 18, and his push to nearly double eligibility for the existing earned income tax credits, which the state senator touted "will transform our economy."

"I like people who can go from inspiration to perspiration, get the work done," Watters stressed.

Watters also took aim at Republican President Donald Trump, arguing that "we've got a president who's running on fear. Cory Booker knows that hope and dreams bring our country together and he's the candidate who's going to beat Trump."

Booker's no stranger to the Granite State. He was in the state last fall, just days before the 2018 elections, to help Democrats running for office. He also raised more than $170,000 for the New Hampshire Democratic Party last year, and along with 2020 rival U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, he was a top contributor to the state party during the 2018 cycle.

Since launching his presidential campaign at the beginning of February, he has attracted large crowds during his multiple visits to the first-in-the-nation primary state. Booker's also built a formidable campaign staff in the state.

Watters, who has represented Barrington, Dover, Rollinsford, and Somersworth in the state Senate since winning election to the 24-member chamber in 2012, is the second of the current 14 Democratic state senators to back a White House hopeful.

Last week Sen. Jon Morgan of Brentwood also endorsed Booker.

While endorsements can sometimes be overrated, they often can benefit a candidate.

"I think there's a short-term hit," veteran New Hampshire-based political scientist Dante Scala noted, as he pointed to the media attention endorsements draw.

Scala, a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire, noted that endorsements are an additional metric to polling and fundraising that can be used to gauge a candidate's strength.

"I think there's a big overlap between state senators and activists," he added. "I think state senators, especially in an open field like this, can sometimes be the early warning system of how elite opinion is going."