Cory Booker's Twitter vs. Donald Trump's Twitter

Plus: What 9/11 Means to New Yorkers, 18 Years Later [Politics Brief from WNYC + Gothamist] [Keep friends and family informed. Forward the Politics Brief.]( Can Cory Booker Win the Influencer Vote? By [James Ramsay]( Photo: Kevin Lowery New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who now has 4.3 million Twitter followers, was one of the first politicians to leverage the app's potential. As the mayor of Newark, he tweeted his way through [mid-blizzard rescue missions](. He used Twitter to reach people in need of baby supplies [during Sandy](. Twitter is how we know he loves ([loves]( coffee. But Booker and 19 other Democratic presidential candidates are now running to unseat a man with 64 million followers who uses Twitter to conduct foreign policy, fire people, and drive a global news cycle. "I'm dating my tall, hot, sweet nu friend coffee" might not be enough to win the Electoral College. So, perhaps in an effort to refresh his social media game, Booker hired a Millennial and Influencer Engagement Director. And just as he has deliberately (and [successfully]( sought to build a ground game in early primary states, he's trying to do the same thing on Twitter. "If you're looking at who's popular online, or who has 10,000-plus followers, what I'm finding is that there are these very micro-groups for people who have influence within their circles," Christina Coleman, the Booker campaign's engagement director, told WNYC's Rebecca Carroll. "And so it's important that ... we're looking at their actual influence in their communities — grassroots leaders, for example — and how they are uplifting their constituencies." Coleman, a career journalist who came to the Booker campaign from Glamour magazine, said her decision to switch fields and join the campaign was specific and personal. "I think about me as a little girl, and who I needed in office," she said. "I think about the fact that I went to 13 public schools — and three different 5th grades in one year — because of housing affordability. And I'm working for a candidate who started his career as a tenant organizer. This is someone I could've looked up to, someone who could've helped me." Her goal is for Booker's story to reach as many people — and as many of the right people — as possible. She also wants the candidate to just be himself. "Yes, we talk about policy on Twitter," she said, "but he also talks about Star Wars." [HEAR THE FULL INTERVIEW]( Meanwhile, Booker Is in No Danger of Losing His Senate Seat The junior senator from New Jersey, who's currently eyeing the presidency, is also up for reelection in 2020. And [given recent election results]( there’s little indication that New Jersey voters will elect a Republican to the U.S. Senate for the first time in 48 years. Politico's Matt Friedman writes that from one angle, Booker could be vulnerable — he's focused on another job, and Newark's current lead-tainted water crisis has reminded some of the city's corruption back when Booker was mayor. Some activists in Newark are also [criticizing Booker]( for not being present there right now. But if Booker doesn't win the Democratic presidential nomination (he's currently [polling]( at around 2.5 percent), his Senate race will be on the ballot with a Republican president who's remarkably unpopular in New Jersey. Booker is also [New Jersey’s most popular politician]( and he’s never had to endure the spectacle of [a federal corruption trial like his senior Senate colleague]( Bob Menendez. There are currently four Republican candidates in the race. They're all fervent Trump supporters, and none of them have held elected office before. ([Politico]( Most of New York City's Elected Officials Will Have to Give Up Their Seats in 2021 The mayor. The comptroller. 35 members of the City Council. Four out of five borough presidents. They're all being term-limited out of office in 2021, meaning New York City will see the most open seats up for grabs since term limits were created two decades ago. In preparation for the onslaught of new candidates, the city's Campaign Finance Board has been holding seminars in all five boroughs to teach the basics of fundraising, like how to qualify for public matching funds. And thanks to a recent boost in the matching fund amounts, candidates will be eligible for $8 of public money for every $1 raised (up to a point). Because of the matching fund increase, the Campaign Finance Board expects to spend $53 million in the 2021 elections. That's a 40 percent increase from the 2013 tab. ([The Wall Street Journal]( What if a Massive Measles Outbreak Hits New Jersey on Election Day? It's not expected. But it was a scenario in a recent drill held by New Jersey's secretary of state and the Department of Homeland Security, aimed at teaching county-level clerks and supervisors how to deal with potential emergencies on Election Day. The state is also using federal money tied to the Help America Vote Act to upgrade its election system. That includes everything from better cyber protections to new security cameras at polling places and better locks on doors. Regarding the opening scenario: The strategy, at least according to Essex County, would be to simply move paper ballots to a bunch of alternate polling locations. ([NJTV News]( This Isn't About an Upcoming Election, But It's Absolutely Worth Listening To The Brian Lehrer Show devoted its entire program today to reflections on the September 11, 2001 attacks, opening the show with some remarkable first-hand stories about the lives of New Yorkers on that day, and every day since. 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