Rep. Kenan Judge: Cory Booker Lives Our Values

Guest post from State Representative Kenan Judge of Waukee.

As a country, we’ve lost sight of a lot of who we are. Our differences are getting in the way of our common goals. We need to restore a sense of civility and compromise in our politics and government.

We have so many problems that will only be solved if we can come together and agree to get something done. Our kids don’t feel safe in their schools because of the gun violence epidemic; our broken health care system is forcing too many Americans to go without critical medical care and medications.

We need a leader who will bring everyone to the table and remind them of the shared morality and values our nation aspires to uphold. That person, in my heart, is Cory Booker. He is one of us. He has the same Iowa values that I was taught on a family farm in Southern Iowa: honesty, integrity, humility and kindness.

As I’ve had the privilege to get to know Cory in Iowa and after I watched the first Democratic debates, it became clear that one candidate is ready to be a president for us all in 2020: Senator Cory Booker. And a lot of Iowans must have felt the same way, because this week I am proud to join 34 Iowa Caucus activists like Nancy Bobo and Carolyn and John Klaus in announcing our endorsement of Cory Booker for President.

Cory understands the urgency of this moment. He is steady, measured, and refuses to give in to cynicism – tools that made him incredibly effective as the Mayor of Newark and a United States Senator. He has the moral strength to find compassion for those who disagree with him and puts in the work to create unique and productive coalitions. He’s the kind of person who sees the dignity in every person he meets, regardless of their political party, gender, religion, or race. We need more of that kind of principled leadership not only in Washington, D.C. but Iowa too.

It feels like so many of our dreams have been crushed by a toxic political reality that serves no one. Cory is campaigning to reignite our dreams and find pragmatic ways to make them a reality. His plan to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit is built on a proven strategy to reduce the number of working families in poverty. His Baby Bonds proposal would not only help more kids get a head start on paying for college or buying a new home or starting a business, but it would also help stem the population loss we are seeing in far too many of our rural communities across Iowa and our nation.

Cory’s goal isn’t to point fingers or place blame, it’s to mobilize politicians and the public alike to pursue progress that helps us all rise together.

Too many common-sense issues have become a political football used to score points against the other team, but until we come together as a country, we will not make progress on even the critical issues that most of us agree on like lowering prescription drug prices, creating good paying jobs with dignity, and building a public education system that guarantees access to a high quality education no matter your zip code.

We need a president who knows how to pull the team together and score a touchdown, and luckily, we have a candidate in 2020 who knows how to do just that. We, the newest Iowans in Cory’s corner, look forward to moving the ball forward for this country with Cory Booker when he becomes the 46th President of the United States.