Three Campaign Aides Leave Cory Booker's Team

Dang! Why can't I keep a campaign team?!

The last month ain't been good for Brotha Cory. From Politico, about the moderate-liberal Democrat: "The departure of Cory Booker’s national finance director this week was the second person he’s lost for that job in the last six weeks, POLITICO has learned. It brings the total losses from Team Booker to three people in the past six weeks — his former treasurer also parted ways with the Newark mayor as he explores a Senate campaign during that time period, sources confirmed."

More: "Booker has been struggling to put together a team for his nascent Senate exploration, which is all but certain to become a full campaign at some point. Word emerged Monday that Samantha Maltzman, who had worked for Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Bob Menendez, as well as Hillary Clinton, stepped back from the role she was supposed to play as Booker’s national finance director. Booker is pushing to raise a large sum of money in the first fundraising quarter of the year, as he prepares for a run for the seat currently held by the 89-year-old Lautenberg, who has not yet signaled whether he’ll retire. Sources close to Booker told POLITICO that Maltzman had said yes and then realized she was too drained from other campaign work to work full-time as the finance director on a competitive race."

Booker Rising response: Sen. Lautenberg is calling in chips in order to freeze out Mayor Booker in securing campaign talent, hurting his ability to beat Sen. Lautenberg in next year's Democratic primary.