Former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) was "never the top choice" for any voters, according to a Wall Street Journal reporter.
"The second choice really matters in Iowa, and when I talked to voters in the state, they always brought up his name kind of below the second or third choice. He was never the top choice for anyone," WSJ reporter Tarini Parti said on CNN's Inside Politics.
Parti added that Booker had been seen for some time as a candidate who could "pull off a surprise on caucus night" in Iowa. But in the latest poll on Friday, he ranked below businessman Andrew Yang. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) led in the Iowa poll, closely followed by fellow senator Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.). South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg was in third place and former vice president Joe Biden was in fourth.
Booker ended his presidential campaign Monday after failing to qualify a second time for a Democratic debate. In a statement to his supporters, he said, "I got in this race to win, and I've always said I wouldn't continue if there was no longer a path to victory."
President Donald Trump reacted to the news of Booker dropping out by saying he can now rest easy at night.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1216755243712643073