Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker endorsed Barack Obama for President.  Booker, known for his tough campaigns for Mayor (the first, which he lost, was the subject of a documary film “Street Fight”), is a rising star in Democratic politics.  Overwhelmingly elected last year, Booker seems to have bucked the NJ political establishment (Governor Jon Corzine has endorsed Senator Clinton). 

Clinton maintains a comfortable lead in New Jersey and as many, including me often note, endorsements rarely mean much.  Nevertheless, it is a bit of a coup for Obama.  It will be interesting to see who Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, another rising star in Democratic politics, endorses.  Patrick is a former senior official in the Clinton Justice Department and President Clinton campaigned heavily for him in the closing weeks of his campaign.

Obama, Patrick and Booker make up three of the most ambitious African-Americans in the Democratic Party.  All three are Ivy League educated.  Obama went to Columbia for undergrad and received his law degree from Harvard.  Patrick went to Harvard for both his undergrad and his J.D.  Booker went to Stanford and received his law degree from Yale.  Booker was also a Rhodes Scholar.  Watch out for all three in the years to come, no matter what happens in 08.