Cory Booker Sworn In as New Jersey’s New Senator
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ABC News(WASHINGTON) — Cory Booker took off his hat as mayor of Newark, N.J., and officially became a U.S. senator on Thursday.
Booker, well known for his heroic antics and affinity for Twitter, was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden Thursday afternoon after winning a special election to fill the seat of former Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., who passed away this summer.
Immediately after taking the oath as a senator, Booker cast votes in favor of invoking cloture on two controversial nominees – Mel Watt to be the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Patricia Millett to be the U.S. Circuit judge for the District of Columbia Circuit. Republicans ultimately filibustered each of the nominations, which failed to move on.
Booker’s entry in the Senate increases the Democrats’ control to 55-45. Following the death of Lautenberg, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie appointed longtime friend and former N.J. Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa, a Republican, to fill the vacancy.
Thursday afternoon, Booker, who is now one of two African-Americans in the U.S. Senate, planned to head to the White House to meet privately with President Obama.
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