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Mr. Booker Goes To Washington: Cory Booker Scores Historic Senate Win

Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY.

Cory Booker leaves Newark's city hall and heads to Washington D.C. after winning a special election against Republican Steve Lonegan. He will claim the senate seat left open following the death of longtime Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg in June. Booker's victory follows two terms as the mayor of the North Jersey stronghold after his now-historic defeat of Sharpe James - a controversial pillar of Brick City politics - in 2006. With this win Cory Booker becomes the fourth African-American elected to the U.S. Senate and the man some expect to be the Democratic party's answer to Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz - three outspoken Senators who have become the Republican Party's fastest rising stars. Booker spoke indirectly to this point during his victory speech:

"I'm going down to make the Senate more accessible to all of us. I will bring more voice to the voices too often ignored in our state. I will be dogged and determined, relentless and unfaltering in my sense of service for all of New Jersey,"

As a junior Senator entering Washington at the height of political unrest, it is unlikely that Booker will have time to become the bright new face of the Democratic party during the remaining months of his term. This is especially true in the Senate where one's buying power is directly related to seniority. It is clear, however, that he has made it to the stage and stands poised to step into the national spotlight. Cory Booker is a rising pol with the support of the people - youth, innovators and celebrities in particular - and an eagerness to breath new life into a Congress clogged by the stalemates and equally stale rhetoric of the stubborn partisan agendas that have typified Congressional politics over the past several years. The current political climate suggests it would be wise of Booker to dig in his heels and summon the scrappy tenacity he developed in Newark's storied streets to prepare for what will undoubtedly be a bumpy ride. Though Booker - despite his charisma and wild popularity - will still be required to win a campaign for re-election in the coming year, it does not seem far fetched for anyone who has followed his meteoric rise or made note of his political acumen to envision his future success. This is an especially interesting point to examine as people across the nation celebrate his victory alongside those who have supported him in New Jersey. Check the footage below to watch Cory Booker's victory speech as the new Democratic Senator-elect from New Jersey. Scroll down to peep Senator Booker's victory tweets.

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