Sen. Cory Booker to host fundraisers in Utah for Democrats this week

SALT LAKE CITY — New Jersey Sen. and 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Cory Booker will hold a pair of fundraising events in Utah on Wednesday, in what the state Democratic Party chair said could be a sign of momentum for the party going into the midterm elections.

Booker will host an afternoon fundraiser in Salt Lake City to benefit state Democratic campaign arms before heading to Park City for an evening fundraise. The second event will raise support for the Booker Victory Fund, a joint committee that helps fund his Senate campaign, the New Jersey Democratic Party and the Senate Democrats campaign group.

Utah Democratic Party Chairman Brian King said the visit is "exciting" for local Democrats and that the party is "very happy" to have the high-profile senator stop by.

"He doesn't have a ton of free time. To look into coming to Utah means a lot to us and I think it means people on a national level ... they recognize that Utah's not some little area where Democrats have no hope," King told KSL. "I think people are taking notice of Utah and recognizing more that it's in flux, like a lot of places across the country."

Tickets for the afternoon "reception" start at $100 and go up to $5,000, according to an invite from ActBlue, the Democratic Party's political action committee, while the evening ticket prices run from $250 to $5,000.

Booker has represented the Garden State since 2013 and was one of nearly 30 major Democratic candidates to vie for the party's nomination for president in the 2020 election. He suspended his campaign in January 2020, before any of the Democratic primaries and caucuses took place, and eventually endorsed Joe Biden, who would go on to win the nomination and the presidency.

The senator holds the record for the longest floor speech in the U.S. Senate, after speaking in protest of President Donald Trump for 25 hours and five minutes from March 31 to April 1, 2025.

Booker is again rumored to be among a slew of potential presidential candidates for 2028.

King will appear with Booker at Wednesday's Park City fundraiser "for a conversation with Utahns about the issues shaping our communities and our country," the state party said in a statement, saying it is "building a stronger, more energized party and showing up in communities across the state."

"We're proud to bring leaders like Sen. Booker into that conversation as we organize, support strong candidates and build the relationships and energy we need to win up and down the ballot in 2026," the statement continued.

Momentum for Utah Democrats?

Utah Democrats head into the fall optimistic, facing the best chance in almost a decade to win one of the state's four congressional seats thanks to a newly-redrawn district that is centered in Salt Lake City. That new district is likely a draw for Booker and other national Democrats who see more opportunity in the Beehive State, according to King.

"Whenever you have somebody who is a viable candidate for Congress, it attracts a lot of resources, attention, focus, money (and) people," he said.

Another factor motivating Utah Democrats is a backlash against the first 18 months of President Donald Trump's second term. Former U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams, D-Utah, first rode a blue wave to Congress in 2018, and is hoping to do so again this year as he campaigns for Utah's 1st Congressional District against Republican Riley Owen.

Whether it's to support McAdams or to oppose Trump, King is optimistic that the attention and money from national figures like Booker and others will translate to more success locally.

"I think that's got people interested and excited ... in a way that we haven't had in the past," he said.

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