Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey called for national and party unity Monday night at the Democratic National Convention, using a prime-time speech to urge voters to embrace togetherness, rather than the divisiveness he described in Republican Donald Trump's campaign.
"In America," Booker said, "love always trumps hate."
He got a roar then, near the end of an address that gave Booker a coveted moment in the national spotlight.
A rising Democratic star who was considered as Hillary Clinton's running mate, Booker emphasized broad themes of unity – saying cooperation and "interdependence" have coursed through the country from the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia to the moon landing to mapping the human genome.
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"You can't love your country without loving your countrymen and countrywomen," Booker said in another response to Trump. "We don't always have to agree, but we must empower each other, we must find the common ground, we must build bridges across our differences to pursue the common good."
Booker virtually shouted his lines to a packed Wells Fargo Center, at times competing with people in the crowd chanting "Black lives matter!" loud enough to be heard on television.
As one of Clinton's most high-profile surrogates, he traveled the country for her during the Democratic primary and on Monday began the convention by speaking to state delegations from Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida.
His evening speech ran to more than 20 minutes – lengthy for the standards of conventions but short for the senator – and was stripped of much of the humor and sweep he usually packs into his public addresses.
Booker, a Senate freshman who rose to national prominence as the mayor of Newark, has long thrived on crafting an image of positivity, in contrast to more sharp-edged politics.
As he often does, he wove in quotes and citations of American giants such as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and John F. Kennedy.
"When we are indivisible," he said, "we are invincible."
But on Monday he also attacked.
Booker blasted Trump for his comments about immigrants, women, Muslims and Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.).
He even assailed the billionaire's business practices.
"Trump says he would run our country like he has run his businesses," Booker said. "Well, I'm from Jersey ... we've seen how he leads in Atlantic City. He got rich while his companies declared multiple bankruptcies."
After Booker's speech, Trump tweeted:
Part of Booker's call for unity seemed aimed at Bernie Sanders supporters – hailing Clinton's support for liberal causes such as easing income inequality, raising working wages, and investing more in education. Those ideas, he said, show "the best of our values."
He concluded with an impassioned call and response from the crowd, paraphrasing a Maya Angelou poem to declare "we will rise" as he painted an image of a brighter future – sharply contrasting with the dark tones heard throughout the Republican National Convention last week.
"We will not retreat or surrender our values, we will not surrender our ideals, we will not surrender the moral high ground," Booker declared in his conclusion.
"Here in Philadelphia, let us declare again that we will be a free people – free from fear and intimidation."
He added: "Our best days are ahead of us."
