A ‘Radical’ From Newark Is Challenging Cory Booker: Election 2020

NEWARK, NJ — A self-described “radical” with deep Newark roots is challenging Sen. Cory Booker in the 2020 election.

Larry Hamm – a longtime community activist who chairs the People's Organization for Progress (POP) – recently announced that he’s running for U.S. Senate in New Jersey. He’ll be one of several challengers taking on Booker, who ended his bid for president on Monday.

• See related article: Sen. Cory Booker Drops Out Of 2020 Presidential Race

Hamm, a Newark native, has been a relentless voice for civil rights since high school, when he spearheaded a student takeover of a local hotel to demand better facilities and an end to a teacher’s strike. That display of leadership earned him an appointment to the Newark Board of Education, making him the youngest school board member in the United States at the age of 17.

Among many achievements, Hamm helped to form the POP in 1983, founded the community fuel oil co-op People's Energy Cooperative, and served as the director of the community organization program for the United Church of Christ Commission For Racial Justice.

Hamm has taken progressive stances on issues such as anti-apartheid, education, employment and health care, and has helped lead a decades-long battle against racial profiling.

• See related article: Larry Hamm Confirms His Bid to Win a Seat in the US Senate

When asked what separates him from Sen. Booker as a candidate, Hamm said that despite what some may think, Booker is not a “leftist.” On the other hand, Hamm has no confusion about where he lands on the political spectrum.

“I’m a radical, but one who wants radical change in the condition of people in this country,” he told Patch. “There’s a greater gap between rich and the poor – or actually, the rich and the rest of us – in human history.”

“I’m trying to bring the programmatic ideas of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. into the public policy arena,” Hamm continued. “We need a fundamental restructuring of our social system in this country. Rather than just have programs that feed the hungry, we need to reshape an economic system that produces hungry people.”

Hamm said his platform will be “very similar” to another well-known progressive and 2020 presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders.

According to Hamm, he’ll be fighting for:

• Medicare for all
• A $15 minimum wage
• The Green Deal

Hamm said he’ll also be supporting racial justice issues, including the fight against police brutality.

“The number of people killed by police is a national disgrace,” he commented.

There is one issue that Hamm agrees with Booker about, however: slavery reparations.

“To his credit, [Booker] did introduce a bill for reparations,” Hamm said. “I too support reparations, but I’ve been fighting literally for decades.”

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• See related article: Watch Sen. Cory Booker Of NJ Speak About Slavery Reparations
• See related article: Newark Residents March For Slavery Reparations (WATCH)

Hamm’s candidacy has gotten an enthusiastic endorsement from fellow Newark activist Bashir Akinyele, a history teacher at Weequahic High School.

“Hamm's track record is impeccable,” Akinyele wrote. “For over 50 years, he has been fighting on behalf of black people, Latino people, marginalized people, gay and lesbian people, working class people, poor white people, union workers, Jewish people, immigrants, Muslims, the environment and all oppressed people.”

Baba Zayid Muhammad, another longtime Essex County community activist with deep Newark roots, said he’s impressed with the “intergenerational support” Hamm has been getting since he launched his Senate campaign.

“I have known brother Larry Hamm for over 40 years,” Muhammad said. “He has been a principled leader and organizer in the protracted struggle for social justice and black power in America. If anyone will genuinely represent the people in Congress, it will be brother Larry.”

Hamm’s first test will come in June’s primary election, when he tries to win the Democratic Party nomination. When he spoke to Patch, Hamm was optimistic but cautious about the uphill battle he faces, especially on the financial front.

“It’s a David and Goliath scenario,” he said. “Cory Booker has the support of the regular Democratic Party and a campaign war chest of millions of dollars.”

But the longtime community advocate added that he’s still hopeful about his chances in 2020.

“When [Bernie Sanders] is elected, he’s going to need a strong voice in the Senate,” Hamm said.

• See related article: NJ Green Party Candidate To Sen. Booker: Now You Know How We Feel

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