The New Black Politician: Cory Booker, Newark, and Post-Racial America

Using Newark mayor Cory Booker as scaffold, Emory University political scientist Gillespie analyzes the rise of “black political entrepreneurs,” whose emergence she argues may “help amplify and reify the negative stereotypes that have plagued black politicians.” Formulating a theory of “elite displacement,” she argues that “running as a racial moderate against a more racialized opponent is certainly shrewd, but it can have negative externalities.” While centered on Booker’s political life (his 1998 election to the Newark Municipal Council, when he defeated incumbent George Branch; his defeat in his 2002 run against Mayor Sharpe James, who held the office for 20 years (1986–2006); his successful campaign in 2006; his re-election in 2010), Gillespie fleshes out her account through reviews of relevant contemporary political theory and scores of interviews with largely political figures whose opinions about Booker are quite varied. The illustrations of campaign posters enliven and enrich the text. Her “Methodological Notes,” which reflect upon the difficulties of writing a book that “would require that I do research on my friends,” is not only highly readable but offers a key to the ambivalence with which she makes her argument. However, replete with graphs, tables, and academic language, the book is more likely to engage academic political scientists and race theorists than general readers. (May)