Charles Booker
Bio | Charles Booker is a progressive legislator from Louisville currently serving in Kentucky’s House of Representatives. He is a member of the Kentucky Black Legislative Caucus. |
Status and Position | Current State House of Representatives of Kentucky |
Political Party and Jurisdiction | Democrat, Kentucky |
Elections | Election Jurisdiction | Started Campaign | Campaign Status | Poll Rankings (of the vote) |
| 2020 Senate Election Kentucky 1 | Kentucky 1 | Yes | Dropped Out | 0.0% |
Campaign Financing | Booker received all of his campaign contributions from individual donors—like other progressive challengers, he's sworn not to take money from PACs or corporations. |
Voting Rights | Booker is a strong supporter of expanding access to voting rights—he calls for restoring the VRA and the voting rights of the previously incarcerated, as well as same-day registration, expanded early/mail voting, and other legislation. |
Opinions on Issues
Issues | Stance | Summary |
| Universal Healthcare | For | Booker supports universal healthcare legislation, specifically Medicare For All. His campaign platform states that "healthcare is a human right" and that the United States must pass a universal, single-payer system in order to match other industrialized nations. |
| Socialized Healthcare | For | Booker states that expanding Medicaid in the state benefited thousands of Kentuckians, and supports expanding socialized health further to a universal, single-payer system. |
| Private Healthcare | Against | Booker is a vocal proponent of Medicare For All, which would publicize current healthcare. |
| LGBT Rights | For | Booker is a strong supporter of the LGBT community. In the state Senate, Booker has pushed legislation to end conversion therapy and prevent employment discrimination, and he states that everyone "no matter who you love or what pronouns you use" deserves an accountable and fair government |
| Taxes | For | Booker supports repealing the 2017 tax bill and making the federal tax structure more equitable. He stated that one of this top priorities would be reworking the federal tax system so that "those of us near the bottom" wouldn't be paying more than rich corporations/individuals, and repealing the 2017 tax bill which largely consisted of tax cuts. |
| Flat Tax Rate | Against | Booker has called for a reform of the federal tax share so that the wealthy pay their "fair share" as well as ease the burden on working families in Kentucky. He stated that one of this top priorities would be reworking the federal tax system so that "those of us near the bottom" wouldn't be paying more than rich corporations/individuals, and repealing the 2017 tax bill which largely consisted of tax cuts. |
| Abortion | For | Booker is pro-choice. Booker's stated position is that "women have the right to make healthcare decisions that affect their own bodies, and that no government may restrict that right.". He also affirms his support for the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. |
| Gun Control | For | Booker's platform calls for "common sense gun control" and calls for addressing gun violence as a public health crisis. Booker points to his experience in the Kentucky Legislature, where he's sponsored gun safety legislation and opposed permitless concealed-carry. He also links the issue with the distribution of weapons to police and SROs, and supports removing the Charleston exception to background checks. |
| Assisted Suicide | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on assisted suicide. Booker points to his experience in the Kentucky Legislature, where he's sponsored gun safety legislation and opposed permitless concealed-carry. He also links the issue with the distribution of weapons to police and SROs, and supports removing the Charleston exception to background checks. |
| Government Interference | For | Booker believes that government intervention is necessary to deal with many of the issues facing Kentucky, and believes that concepts like the free market (especially in regards to healthcare) only create a predatory system. |
| Planned Parenthood | For | Booker has spoken out against bills that would restrict abortion and the functioning of Planned Parenthood in Kentucky. |
| Welfare | For | Booker supports the current welfare programs, and calls for more extensive ones such as Universal Basic Income. Booker supports a universal basic income for families in Kentucky in order to "put an end to generational poverty", as well as current programs that provide relief or welfare to these families. |
| Welfare | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on stem cell research. |
| Death Penalty | Nuance | Booker's record in the legislature illustrates that he supports reforming, rather than removing, the death penalty. In January 2020, he was one of thirty-two bipartisan cosponsors of HB237 in the Kentucky House, which would prevent mentally ill defendants from recieving the death penalty; he has not called for abolishing it like many other Democrats, but supports its reform. |
| Mandatory Prison Sentence | Against | Booker calls for a reform of the criminal justice system, most notably reducing mass incarceration. |
| Military Spending | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on military spending. |
| War on Terrorism | Against | In response to the killing of Qasem Soleimani, Booker stated that "war with Iran would be a disaster" and criticized the president for what he saw as his reckless handling of the situation. |
| Foreign Policy International Interaction | Unknown | Booker does not have a platform on foreign policy. N/A |
| United Nations power | Unknown | Booker does not have a public stance yet on the United Nations. |
| Nationalism | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on nationalism. |
| Free Markets | Nuance | Booker supports free markets and growing markets, but also a baseline level of government intervention. His platform calls for removing right-to-work legislation and reinstating wage laws, so that the economic gains go to the people who created them. |
| Brexit | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on Brexit. |
| Affirmative Action | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on affirmative action. |
| Government Spending | For | Booker calls for increased government spending in many areas, such as on the environment and within labor, believing that it is the best path for economic equality, and for programs such as Medicare For All and UBI. |
| Charter Schools | Against | One of the bills he notes on his platform is a bill to repeal the legislation that allow(s) charter schools in Kentucky, and he is firm in his stance on supporting public (not private) education. |
| Common Core | Unknown | Booker does not have a public stance yet on the Common Core. N/A |
| Clean Energy | For | Booker is a vocal proponent of expanding clean energy, and phasing out fossil fuels. Booker supports the Green New Deal to vastly expand the production of clean energy, and states that Kentucky, a large coal state, should take the lead on such a program. |
| Religious Freedom | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on religious freedom. N/A |
| Separation of Church and State | Unknown | He does not have a public position yet on the separation of church and state. |
| Slavery Reparations | Nuance | When asked, Booker stated that "the issue is not simply about how we redress harms...", and instead spoke in favor of economic and racial reforms that would level the playing field going into the future. |
| Border Control | Against | Booker believes in a reform of the system, and states that "no person is illegal." Booker states that "we need immigrants" and has called for undoing the policies of the Trump Administration vis-à-vis immigration: he supports a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. |
| Passenger Profiling | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on such profiling. |
| DACA | For | Booker stated that, if elected, he would codify the programs and grant citizenship to its recipients. |
| Sanctuary Cities | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on sanctuary cities. |
| Legalizing Marijuana | For | Booker believes that legalizing marijuana is both an effective method at reducing incarceration, and benefiting Kentucky's economy. |