New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has pledged his assistance to Newark Mayor Cory Booker in his run for senate as the special election looms, USA TODAY reported.
Bloomberg, an independent, has reportedly donated $1 million to Booker's campaign, just one week before the Oct. 16 election to fill the seat left behind by the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg. According to the New York Times, he will begin airing commercials on Monday to promote Booker against Republican Steve Lonegan.
The advertisement features Bloomberg referring to the Newark mayor as a leader who "put progress ahead of partisanship." It is funded by his political action committee Independence USA, which was created last year to help federal candidates who support stricter gun laws and gay marriage.
Bloomberg has also personally donated to Booker's campaign.
"He is a solutions guy rather than an ideologue," Bloomberg said of Newark's mayor in an interview.
New Jersey, a highly Democratic state, has not voted a Republican to the Senate since 1972. Although poll numbers recently demonstrated a tightening race between him and Lonegan, Booker still maintains a double-digit lead over the conservative activist.
"This is much closer than anybody thought it should be," said Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, as he referred to Lonegan's conservative social positions, Booker's national popularity, and New Jersey's history of electing Democratic senators.
"This should be a 20-point lead and not anything less than that," Murray said.
"Lonegan has successfully made the race about Booker," added State Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, a Democrat. "The focus is on Cory's warts."
Joel Benenson, a pollster for Booker, called his candidate's lead "pretty strong" according to the Election Day performance of former Democratic candidates in New Jersey.
Booker was elected as the mayor of Newark in 2006.
