Booker ‘wowed’ by GOP challenger’s blunt message to Trump

A debate between New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and his Republican challenger, Justin Murphy, turned sharply on the war with Iran. Asked what he would say if President Donald Trump phoned him for counsel, Murphy answered that the president should complete the mission rather than abandon it midway. The crowd applauded him, and Booker responded with a stunned "Wow.", according to Fox News.

Murphy, an attorney from the Pine Barrens who previously served as deputy mayor of Tabernacle, described Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a radical terrorist organization that has robbed Iranians of their history and a decent life. He said four decades of suffering was enough, and that he would urge Trump to go in forcefully and finish the job properly. Booker countered that this kind of "Yahoo" approach to foreign policy has pulled the country into expensive Middle East wars, and he cautioned against another drawn-out conflict. Split-screen footage showed the senator shaking his head and raising his eyebrows as his opponent spoke.

The race is in a state that leans Democratic but has moved toward Republicans lately; Trump carried key areas there in 2024. No Republican has won a Senate contest in New Jersey since Clifford Case in 1972.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Fox News’s reporting. Read the full story at Fox News →