News: Blacks In The Democratic Party

Poll: Cory Booker Would Be Strong N.J. Gubernatorial Candidate In 2013

As Democrats whisper about Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker’s possible candidacy for governor in 2013, an analysis released this week by Public Policy Polling predicts he would be a solid candidate for the office. The moderate-liberal Democrat had a 41% favorable rating and a 20% unfavorable rating, 40 points better than Gov. Jon Corzine’s unfavorable rating, according to the poll conducted by the North Carolina-based polling firm before the November 3 election (which Mr. Corzine lost). Mayor Booker outperformed the only other Democrat included in the polling — Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.) — whose favorables were only 14% and whose negatives were 25%.

The poll was conducted in September. The "what if" poll compared Mayor Booker to Gov. Corzine, now-Governor-elect Chris Christie and Rep. Pallone for the recent gubernatorial race Mayor Booker’s numbers were not enough to beat Mr. Christie, and the poll omitted Senate President Richard Codey, a popular Democrat who has hinted at a 2013 run.

Modia Butler, Mayor Booker’s chief of staff, said that a 2013 was not a priority for the Booker team, which has raised $5.7 million for his re-election run next year. “The focus of the Booker administration is the same now as it was when we first took office in July 2006 — to build a stronger, safer, prouder Newark,” Mr. Butler said. “We are not concerned with polls or speculation about the 2013 New Jersey gubernatorial race.”

Alabama: Artur Davis Supports Charter Schools

Nearly everyone running for Alabama governor next year says Alabama should reverse course and allow charter schools as a way to foster competition and innovation in public education. Charter schools use public education funds but private manage­ment and usually attract students and parents who feel their neighborhood public school is inadequate. It is a formula that is es­pecially controversial in Al­abama, where a strong teachers' union has fought any incursion on those funds or avoidance of the tenure system.

Among the three Democratic candidates, one is opposed to allowing charter schools, one is supportive and the third is undecided. U.S. Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) has lectured fellow Democrats for focus­ing too heavily on job secu­rity for teachers and not enough on reform. Charter schools, depending on the state law and local boards that govern them, often do not follow the same rules on hiring and tenure that traditional public schools do. The moderate Democrat supports President Obama's promotion of charter schools and argues they have improved education in poor and minority dis­tricts in other cities around the country. "We have good Demo­crats and good progressives....who will tell you they don't like charter schools....because they think it's drying up jobs for some class of potential teachers," Mr. Davis told a group of Dem­ocrats recently in Washing­ton, D.C. "That's an outmoded, old argument."