Potential 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker to speak in SC on MLK Day

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker will speak a rally at the S.C. State House on Martin Luther King Jr. Day later this month, as the New Jersey Democrat dips his toes into South Carolina’s political waters ahead of a possible presidential run.

The S.C. NAACP confirmed Friday that Booker will be a speaker at the annual King Day at the Dome rally on Jan. 21.

Booker is one of a host of Democrats who could run for president in 2020, and his appearance in the early primary state of South Carolina will only fuel those rumors.

The New Jersey Democrat last visited the Palmetto State last October to excite the Democratic base ahead of the November election. He spoke to a crowd at Columbia’s Allen University and at a fish fry hosted by the Orangeburg County Democratic Party.

S.C. NAACP spokeswoman Mamie Hartwell said Friday other potential candidates also might take part in the King Day rally and could be announced in coming days.

South Carolina’s Democratic presidential primary is scheduled for Feb. 29, 2020.

This story was originally published January 4, 2019 at 12:23 PM with the headline "Potential 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker to speak in SC on MLK Day."

Bristow Marchant

The State

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Bristow Marchant covers local government, schools and community in Lexington County for The State. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 2007. He has almost 20 years of experience covering South Carolina at the Clinton Chronicle, Sumter Item and Rock Hill Herald. He joined The State in 2016. Bristow has won numerous awards, most recently the S.C. Press Association’s 2024 education reporting award.  Support my work with a digital subscription