Booker courts red state voters online, urging them to join ‘No Kings’ protests 

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is pressing red state voters to join local “No Kings” protests Saturday and put pressure on their GOP legislators to end the government shutdown through his outreach with social media influencers and creators in Florida and North Carolina. 

The outreach, which was first shared with The Hill, includes interviews with content creators and influencers Sara Wiles in Florida, Sander Jennings in Florida and Kate Barr in North Carolina, whose total followers combined are just less than 2 million, a Booker aide said. 

Booker has used those interviews to encourage viewers to press their Republican lawmakers to negotiate with Democrats over ending the government shutdown and addressing health care, according to the aide. 

Democrats and Republicans remain in a standoff over reopening the government, as Democrats want to see an extension of expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies as part of any funding legislation, while Republicans want to pass a “clean” stopgap bill. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Thursday he was ready to make a deal and offer a vote over health care subsidies in exchange for ending the shutdown.  

“We can guarantee you get a vote by a date certain,” Thune told MSNBC. “At some point, Democrats have to take ‘yes’ for an answer.” 

But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told MSNBC separately that he’s skeptical a deal could come together, saying Republican leaders “can’t be trusted on a wing and a prayer.” 

Booker’s outreach to red states is notable given he’s been floated as a 2028 White House hopeful, particularly after he spoke for a record of more than 25 hours on the Senate floor in opposition to Republicans’ major policy bill earlier this year.