A Johnson County lawmaker has become the first Iowa legislator to endorse any 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful.
Rep. Amy Nielsen, D-North Liberty, has thrown her support behind U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who formally announced his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination Feb. 1.
"Now more than ever, we need Cory's message of optimism and unity," she said in a 38-second video announcing her endorsement.
Nielsen, 41, served as mayor of North Liberty from 2014 to 2016. In 2016, she was elected to represent House District 77, which includes North Liberty, Tiffin, Oxford, Shueyville, Lone Tree and the rural areas west and south of Iowa City. She was re-elected in 2018.
She pointed to Booker's record of bringing people together as mayor of Newark, N.J.
"As a former mayor myself, I know the types of tough decisions that you must make when you are the city's chief executive officer and how that prepares you to tackle big things in the future," Nielsen said.
Booker is part of a growing field of candidates competing in Iowa's first-in-the-nation precinct caucuses scheduled for Feb. 3, 2020. Although the pace of the campaign has picked up rapidly over the last month, there have been few endorsements.
(c)2019 The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
