Cory Booker posts personal record fundraising haul after marathon speech

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., raked in millions of dollars in campaign funds during the second fundraising quarter, his biggest haul ever, after his marathon speech on the Senate floor.

Booker’s Senate campaign and an affiliated joint fundraising committee raised $10 million from April through June, according to fundraising figures shared first with NBC News. It’s the most money Booker has ever raised in a single quarter, including when he was running for president in 2019.

That fundraising period includes the aftermath of Booker’s marathon speech on the Senate floor. He called President Donald Trump’s administration a “grave and urgent” threat in a speech lasting 25 hours, five minutes, breaking a Senate record on April 1 and helping energize Democrats who had been demoralized by a 2024 presidential campaign loss and the first few months of Trump’s second term.

The fundraising haul includes more than $9 million directly to his Senate campaign and several hundred thousand dollars more to his joint fundraising committee, known as the Booker Victory Fund, according to a Booker aide.

More than 200,000 unique donors gave to Booker’s political operation in the second quarter, with the vast majority contributing $25 or less. He ended June with $19.6 million on hand.

The totals are in the ballpark of what some other potential presidential contenders raised last quarter. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., raised $9.6 million in the first quarter, while Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., raised $8 million. Federal fundraising reports covering the second quarter are due Tuesday.

“This level of grassroots support reflects the energy and hunger for Cory’s kind of leadership in this pivotal moment — a willingness to stand up for what’s right no matter how tough or how long the fight,” Booker campaign manager Adam Silverstein said in a statement. “We’re grateful for this tremendous support, and will continue building the campaign infrastructure needed to win in 2026 and support Democrats running up and down the ticket.”

Booker is up for re-election next year, and he is not expected to face a particularly difficult race in Democratic-leaning New Jersey, although the state is hosting a competitive governor’s race later this year. Trump lost the state by 6 points last year, a 10-point improvement on his 2020 margin, which was the second-largest swing toward Trump in any state.

Booker is also viewed as a potential presidential contender in 2028 after his unsuccessful 2020 presidential bid.

Booker did not rule out a possible presidential campaign in April on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” saying in part, “I’m focused on today and my re-election in ’26.”