美国国家公共电台 NPR Cory Booker Is A Stirring Speaker, Iowa Voters Say. But His S

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It looks unlikely that Cory Booker will qualify for next week's Democratic presidential debate - second debate in a row that he's missed. For much of this campaign, the New Jersey² senator has struggled to gain traction³ in the polls, even though in Iowa, the first state to vote, many voters praise his charisma⁴, his authenticity⁵.

NPR's Asma Khalid wanted to find out why that popularity is not reflected in those polls.

ASMA KHALID, BYLINE⁶: Cory Booker is a politician who sounds like a preacher.

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CORY BOOKER: We may be down in a valley right now. But I promise you, if you stand with me, if you caucus⁷ with me, if we stand for that spirit, I promise you we will get to the mountaintop. And we'll do it because together, as Americans, we know we will rise. Thank you, everybody.

KHALID: Iowans who hear him walk away touched, even people who are not committed to caucusing⁸ for him - people like Sue Dvorsky, the former chair of the Iowa Democratic Party.

SUE DVORSKY: I've heard him multiple times. I still get a little teary. I still get goose bumps on my arms. But...

KHALID: But, she says, there's a different calculus⁹ this year. Dvorsky was an early supporter of Barack Obama in 2007. And she says, now, a lot of voters don't want to pick a candidate with their heart. They're picking with their head, trying to find the Democrat¹ they think has the best odds¹⁰ of defeating Donald Trump¹¹. Still, she says...

DVORSKY: It is undeniable that people like him.

KHALID: And so Booker's fans are confused. Activists¹² say he's built a stronger organization here than many people realize, and he's gotten a good number of endorsements¹³ from local politicians. So why isn't that translating into more concrete support? Some say maybe it's because Booker is black and Democrats¹⁴ want to go with a safe, white, male option. Others say maybe Booker's message of love and unity¹⁵ is not what voters want this year. They want a fighter.

Either way, when Booker speaks, he captures the attention of a crowd better than most of his rivals.

THOMAS LECAQUE: He has a really charismatic personality.

KHALID: I met Thomas Lecaque at a Booker house party. He was still sporting a Julian Castro button on his jacket. The former housing secretary who recently dropped out of the race had been Lecaque's first choice. But he says after hearing Booker in person, he was impressed.

LECAQUE: I trust him as a human being. He is someone who strikes me as being honest and idealistic and trying to do the right thing.

KHALID: Booker has a massive extended family in Iowa. And the other day, one of his cousins hosted a black women's luncheon¹⁶ for him in Des Moines. That's where I met Lauren Patrick, who told me she wants Booker's voice in this race.

LAUREN PATRICK: Whether that's, like, a loyalty¹⁷ within the black community or just feeling, like, that he's a solid candidate and he should have an opportunity to be on the platform, and then how people decide to vote from there is another thing. But I just want to make sure he has a fair shot.

KHALID: Booker himself is pleading with Iowans in these final few weeks, asking them to ignore the headlines.

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BOOKER: I'm asking you to make a decision when you leave here to caucus for me. I love Iowa because you don't care about national polls, you really don't. You've belied¹⁸ them all the time.

KHALID: Jason Oelmann was in the crowd. And afterwards, he went up to take a picture with the senator. Booker recorded a video message for Oelmann's partner who didn't make this event.

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BOOKER: We're sending you lots of love, lots of gratitude¹⁹. And I hope I get a chance to meet you. Come to one of my future events, please.

KHALID: This is the Booker way - messages of love sent via modern technology. Oelmann walked away thrilled.

JASON OELMANN: He's very charismatic, and he's very, very positive. I feel like positive energy really kind of radiates and speaks to me.

KHALID: But still, Oelmann's not sure he's going to caucus for Booker. Booker's in his top three, but that's the predicament for the New Jersey senator. He's in a lot of people's top three; he's just not necessarily their No. 1.

Asma Khalid, NPR News, Des Moines.