MSNBC contributor Perry Bacon, Jr. explained on the show that "It's still really hard as an African-American politician to win in a big state":

"We only have on black governor, Deval Patrick (D-Mass.). This is not an accident. It's really hard. A lot of members of CBC districts are pretty liberal, don't have big fundraising bases, so they have a hard time winning races, but it's really galling. And it also really matters in terms of policy as well. Think about the Voting Rights Act this week -- was struck down -- who in the senate is going to take that out? You watch the female senators handing sexual assault in the military? The female senators are really driving that because there are 20 of them and they can speak to the issues."

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“In Newark, we got guns off the street, attracted new businesses, created new jobs, and improved our public schools," he says in the ad, adding: "Washington ducks our problems. I won’t. Join me. The work starts now."

Watch:

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Goldberg tells this story about when he and his daughter met Booker while she was studying for her bat mitzvah:

Booker turned his attention to her. “What’s your parasha?” he asked, using the Hebrew word for portion, a reference to the section of the Torah she would soon be reading. I could see, across my daughter’s then almost-13-year-old-face, a bit of confusion and a trace of panic, but she answered: “Vayera,” which is the action-packed chapter in the Book of Genesis that includes, among other things, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

“Amazing parasha!” Booker said. He then quoted -- in Hebrew -- one of its more famous lines. And he shared his expert exegesis on the portion’s broader meaning -- notably, the lessons that any troublemaker worth her salt could derive from Abraham’s audacious decision to negotiate with God about the future of these two sinful towns.

My daughter didn’t know quite what to make of Booker’s erudite and enthusiastic performance. “Is he Jewish?” she asked later. No, I said. He’s a Protestant. “He knows a lot about my parasha,” she said.

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From the Star-Ledger:

In a one-page notice, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said Somerset Democratic Chairwoman Peg Schaffer’s request for the state’s highest court to take up her challenge is denied.

That leaves the Oct. 16 special Senate election on the calendar.

Schaffer, who has said she is not representing her county party, contended Gov. Chris Christie did not have the authority to set the date before November’s general election. She argued voters would become confused and the situation would create disenfranchisement for many residents.

Christie had reportedly called the election for October to avoid appearing on the ballot alongside the very popular Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who likely would have also caused a surge in Democratic turnout.

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The poll also finds Booker with a big lead in the Democratic primary:

Booker, a graduate of Stanford University, Yale Law School and a Rhodes Scholar, currently attracts 54% support in the Democratic primary competition. A Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of the race finds three other candidates far behind. Congressman Rush Holt picks up 11% of the vote, Congressman Frank Pallone draws eight percent (8%), and Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly Sheila Oliver earns five percent (5%) of the vote. Three percent (3%) would prefer some other candidate and 18% are undecided.

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Politicker NJ reports:

The court cited NJSA 19:27-6, which provides that if a vacancy occurs in the the US Senate the election shall take place at the general election next succeeding unless the vacancy occurs within 70 days next preceding the primary election prior to the general election.

"Without question, the Governor was authorized to call a special election in this circumstance, where the vacancy occurred one day prior to the primary," the court's decision reads.

The challenge was brought by attorney Peg Schaffer, who also chairs a local county Democratic Committee. She and her law firm had argued that a special election would be too costly, and would suppress the vote.

Christie reportedly decided to call a special election to avoid appearing on the same ballot as Cory Booker, an early frontrunner in the Democratic primary, and to avoid a surge in Democratic turnout for the general election.

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In a potential general election match-up, Booker also leads Republican Steve Lonegan by a margin of 54 - 27 percent.

From the poll:

New Jersey voters have a 57 - 14 percent favorable opinion of Booker, while 25 percent don't know enough about him to form an opinion. The "don't know enough" measures for the other contenders are:

• Pallone - 68 percent;
• Holt - 67 percent;
• Lonegan - 62 percent.

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On MSNBC's "Up with Steve Kornacki," panelists discuss Booker's chances in the democratic primary and the general election in October.

Kornacki describes Booker as the "overwhelming favorite" of the candidates and potential candidates in the democratic primary, which include Rep. Rush Holt, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone and speaker of the state assembly Sheila Oliver.

Ingrid Reed of the Eagleton Institute of Politics, said, "He is well known, so around the state if you had to name one person, showed them the list, they would point to Cory Booker."

"But if you look a little deeper, Newark is not Cory Booker's place," she said. "He's not -- doesn't seem to be in control in administrative matters, budget, police, so on, but he's had political problems in Newark. How do New Jerseyans look at that?"

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The 44-year-old mayor was introduced by former U.S. Bill Bradley, D-N.J. at the press conference, who said that Booker is "the right person for the right office at the right time."

"I believe the right kind of politics allows us to see something bigger than ourselves. It allows politicians to appeal to our better nature. And it allows citizens to have faith in their neighbors, in people, in humankind. The reason I am here today is because I believe Cory Booker embodies that kind of politics and is that kind of leader," said Bradley.

The party primary will take place on Aug. 13 and the special general election will be held Oct. 16.

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The staff member says Booker plans to announce his entry into the race Saturday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the plans ahead of the official announcement.

Booker had been expected to run. He announced last year that he was considering seeking the office in 2014, and he has been raising money for a run.

Lautenberg died Monday at 89.

A special primary is scheduled for August with a general election in October.

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Sweeney added that if Christie doesn't call it for this November, “We’ll take it to court.”

The Star-Ledger explains the dilemma:

Democrats believe state law requires the governor to hold the special election in November, but Republicans believe they can wait until next November, an argument supported by the research arm of the Legislature.

Christie is reportedly wary of the prospect of appearing on the same ballot as Cory Booker, who was planning to run when Lautenberg retired in 2014 anyway. Booker, who is very popular in the state, could potentially energize the Democratic base and cut into Christie's lead in his own race for reelection, set for November.

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The New Jersey political world – and that most certainly includes Chris Christie and his inner circle – was well aware of Frank Lautenberg’s failing health long before he succumbed to viral pneumonia Monday morning at age 89. The senator’s rapid decline had fueled months of quiet and uncomfortably morbid conversations between and among members of both parties, who sought to balance basic good taste with the very practical questions that Lautenberg’s passing would raise.

Lautenberg announced in February that he wouldn’t seek another term in 2014. He had hoped to do this on his own terms, but Cory Booker’s poorly timed decision to throw his own name into the ’14 mix back in December created the impression that Lautenberg was surrendering in the face of a fight. After that February announcement, Lautenberg’s condition seemed to worsen and his prolonged absence from the Senate led members of both parties to conclude that he might resign or die before the end of next year.

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Affeldt discusses his struggle to overcome his anti-gay bias in a new memoir, "To Stir a Movement," and believes the diversity of his adopted city helped him through that process: "There's a chapter in there of me coming to San Francisco and being hesitant because I had homophobia, and now I don't," he told the Associated Press. "I see more San Francisco as a city of love and a city of passion and compassion. It's unbelievable this city. To see that and to have my heart change as a city I didn't ever want to come to, to a city that I'm so thankful I'm going to be part of for a long time, it talks about that. For me, it was an awesome deal."

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And that should clear the way for Booker. Sure, there’ll be a few other New Jersey Democrats who test the waters in the days and weeks ahead, but the smart money says that they – like Lautenberg – will eventually swallow their pride and step out of Booker’s way. And if they don’t, he’ll be heavily favored to beat them in the primary. Republicans will come up with a candidate too, but the Garden State GOP’s bench is thin and the state hasn’t sent a Republican to the Senate since (the very liberal) Clifford Case in 1972. Booker, with his broad popularity and limitless treasury, figures to be a reliable caretaker of that Democratic winning streak.

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"I am not announcing the end of anything. I am announcing the beginning of a two-year mission to pass new gun safety laws, protect children from toxic chemicals and create more opportunities for working families in New Jersey," Lautenberg told the New Jersey Star-Ledger. "While I may not be seeking re-election, there is plenty of work to do before the end of this term and I'm going to keep fighting as hard as ever for the people of New Jersey in the U.S. Senate."

At age 89, Lautenberg is the oldest member of the Senate and the last World War II veteran in the upper chamber. He was widely expected to retire at the end of his term, to create an opening for the ambitious Booker, but when Booker recently publicly floated a potential bid, Lautenberg seemed to find new vigor for his job and took pot shots at Booker.

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After I wrote about Cory Booker's decision last month to take the SNAP Challenge – to take "a view of what life can be like for millions of low-income Americans" – I couldn't get the idea of it out of my head. The challenge is simple in concept but demanding in its execution: see what it's like to live for one week on a food budget equivalent to your state's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program's (SNAP) benefits. Participants can use their existing spices and condiments, but no other foodstuffs, nor they can accept food "from friends, family, or at work." Because I live in New York, I'd have a slightly more generous allowance than New Jersey's Booker got – a total of $36.86 for a week of eating. And because my two daughters are awesome, they said they wanted to do it too as I soon as I mentioned it to them. So for the past week, we've been eating on a little over five bucks a person per day.

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"Buckle your seat belts!" said Rivera before announcing, on his radio show on WABC-AM in New York, that he is "truly contemplating" a Senate bid.

He said he has spoken to some people in the New Jersey GOP about a run, but he didn't say what they told him.

Rivera got a mixed response when he asked his 30,000 Twitter followers how they feel about him challenging either Sen. Frank Lautenberg or Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

At 89, Lautenberg is the oldest sitting U.S. senator. The Democrat hasn't said if he will seek re-election.

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No, I’m not talking about Massachusetts, although it is possible that Scott Brown, who appears to be readying for a comeback bid, will defeat his Democratic opponent – likely Ed Markey, but maybe Steve Lynch – and return to the upper chamber. The unexpected drama this week is playing out a few states to the south, in New Jersey.

It’s hard to say exactly how much trouble that state’s junior senator, Bob Menendez, may be in, or if he’s in any trouble at all. Certainly, though, the headlines are alarming, and the existence of an FBI investigation has got to be concerning to Democrats, who know that any scandal that forces Menendez from the Senate would empower Gov. Chris Christie to appoint a Republican successor.

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Silicon Valley, by and large, spends Democratic with its fundraising cash, and overwhelmingly voted for Barack Obama last November. The numbers brook no dispute. In the last presidential cycle, 91 percent of campaign contributions by Apple employees and 97 percent by Google employees went to Obama. In Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, Obama crushed Romney by margins of over 40 percent. The gap is so bad that Nate Silver even suggested it could potentially be blamed for the poor performance of Romney's campaign in the technological arena. The best geeks just didn't want to work for him.

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Currently, there is just one black governor, Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, and only one other – Doug Wilder in Virginia – has been elected since Reconstruction. A third, New York’s David Paterson, served an interim stint after Eliot Spitzer’s 2008 demise but declined to seek a full term. There is also just one black senator today, a Republican, Tim Scott of South Carolina.

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