Iowa Reps. Konfrst, Nielsen, Smith: Together, We Will Rise With Cory Booker

A guest post from Iowa State Representatives Jennifer Konfrst, Amy Nielsen, Mark Smith.

For centuries, our nation has served as a beacon of hope to the rest of the world because of Americans rising above our differences and celebrating what we had in common — being part of one of the first Democratic experiments in human history, one ruled by and for the people that strives to protect liberty and justice for all.

These days, it feels like that great experiment is being tested, but we know our nation has a rich history of coming together even during our darkest times. We need a leader to help shine a light on our collective path forward. We need someone to show America that we can put politics aside and make progress for working people. We need a leader to up lift us up and restore our shared values.

And that leader is Cory Booker.

Throughout his career, Cory has routinely brought together uncommon coalitions to take on what others thought was impossible and achieve incredible progress for his city, his state, and, ultimately, this country. Cory is running for president to inspire each and every one of us to step up and do the same.

Cory is guided by his values, not political pundits. After graduating from Yale Law School, he moved to a low-income, inner city neighborhood in Newark and has lived there ever since, never losing touch with the community that inspired him to run for office in the first place.

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As the Mayor of Newark, he inherited a city struggling from the impacts of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, but those challenges did not deter him. Cory fostered a spirit of common purpose to build unique partnerships that tackled issues like affordable housing, scarce union jobs and apprenticeships, public safety, public education, and population loss — which delivered results for the people of Newark.

When his state sent him to a notoriously gridlocked Washington, D.C., Cory refused to give in to cynicism. He worked quietly behind the scenes to build bipartisan consensus and trust around  issues including the need for investment in some of our most underserved communities. Cory’s efforts helped lead to the law creating the federal Opportunity Zones program, which is now driving investment in communities like Cedar Rapids and Waterloo and Muscatine.

Then there’s Cory’s work on criminal justice reform. He took on the American criminal justice system not for political gain, but because it was one of the biggest barriers in his neighborhood for families struggling to achieve the American Dream. Cory successfully worked with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass ambitious reforms that took the first steps to fix our nation’s broken criminal justice system and finally address decades of failed policies that led to mass incarceration.

We could use more of that spirit in the Iowa state legislature, and Cory worked harder than anyone to help us elect more consensus builders to the Iowa House in 2018.

Cory has put together a staff with unmatched local experience; people who understand that their job is about more than victory on caucus night — it’s about promoting a sense of community and leaving this state better than they found it. They value small acts of kindness and use their resources to support larger community projects. From state leadership to organizers on the ground, every member of Team Cory is working to demonstrate and create a culture of civic participation that should serve as an example on the campaign trail in Iowa for years to come.

When it comes to Cory 2020’s organizational strength, we don’t have to look any further than the Hall of Fame Celebration in Cedar Rapids. In the first showing of every campaigns’ ability to organize and mobilize supporters in a caucus room, Cory’s team was second to none. This is the kind of strong infrastructure needed to be successful in the Iowa Caucuses, and this campaign has proven time and time again they have what it takes.

Photo by Julie Fleming

If you are tired of watching your public officials squabble over partisan differences instead of getting anything done for working people, support Cory Booker.

If you want to live in a country where every citizen realizes the incredible power they have to change their community for the better, support Cory Booker.

If you believe that a nation united in common purpose is stronger than one divided by politics, race, wealth, or religion, join us in supporting Cory Booker for President — and, together, we will rise.

by Iowa State Representatives Jennifer Konfrst, Amy Nielsen, Mark Smith
Photo by Julie Fleming
Posted 6/18/19