Cory Booker Made Bank on That Marathon Senate Speech

NJ senator sets $10M fundraising record as grassroots donors fuel campaign momentum
Posted Jul 10, 2025 11:44 AM CDT
After That Marathon Speech, Cory Booker Makes Bank
Sen. Cory Booker, D-NJ, speaks on the Senate floor, Tuesday morning, April 1, 2025.   (Senate Television via AP)

After an all-night Senate speech that shattered records, Sen. Cory Booker has pulled in his largest-ever fundraising total—revealing a wave of grassroots support as he eyes re-election and possibly more. Booker's Senate campaign and an affiliated joint fundraising committee raised $10 million from April through June, according to fundraising figures shared first with NBC News. It's the most money Booker has ever raised in a single quarter, including when he was running for president in 2019.

That fundraising period includes the aftermath of Booker's marathon speech on the Senate floor. He called President Trump's administration a "grave and urgent" threat in a speech lasting 25 hours, five minutes, breaking a Senate record on April 1 and helping energize Democrats. The fundraising haul includes more than $9 million directly to his Senate campaign and several hundred thousand dollars more to his joint fundraising committee, known as the Booker Victory Fund, according to a Booker aide.

More than 200,000 unique donors gave to Booker's political operation in the second quarter, with the vast majority contributing $25 or less. He ended June with $19.6 million on hand, notes the Hill. The totals are in the ballpark of what some other potential presidential contenders raised last quarter. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez raised $9.6 million in the first quarter, while Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy raised $8 million.

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Booker is up for re-election next year, and he is not expected to face a particularly difficult race in Democratic-leaning New Jersey, although the state is hosting a competitive governor's race this year. Booker is also viewed as a potential presidential contender in 2028 after his unsuccessful 2020 bid. Booker did not rule out a possible presidential campaign in April on NBC News' Meet the Press, saying in part, "I'm focused on today and my re-election in '26."

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