A car crashed into a building where Democrat presidential candidate Cory Booker was giving a speech in Florida on Sunday. The accident momentarily interrupted Booker’s remarks, but nobody was hurt.
The New Jersey senator was speaking at a café in Miami Gardens when a woman drove a mini-van into a pole outside the venue. The driver was hospitalized with minor injuries.
Booker continued with his speech after the commotion died down.
Car crash halts Booker speech
Miami police said that the incident was accidental and not related to Booker’s appearance. However, the spectacle did seem to shake up some of the attendees.
The car came to rest “a few dozen feet” from where Booker stood, according to the Miami Herald.
Booker was speaking at the Miami Soul Café when his remarks were abruptly halted by the crash noises. Some in the audience briefly left the venue, but Booker continued with his remarks after a relatively brief pause.
A campaign event for @CoryBooker in Miami Gardens was interrupted by a car crash just outside the cafe venue where the event was taking place. Fire rescue now on scene. pic.twitter.com/JIgGy12kj6
— Patricia Mazzei (@PatriciaMazzei) April 28, 2019
Nobody in the audience was harmed, but the driver sustained non-life threatening injuries and a passenger was also hurt. Booker addressed the incident with local media.
“I have been a former mayor. We have dealt with a lot of crises. The key is to remain calm and see what you can do to help other people,” Booker told a local Florida news outlet.
“Unfortunately, we have traffic accidents often, and my prayers are with the two people…it seems like they are going to be OK,” Booker said.
Speech addressed voting rights for felons
Booker’s remarks covered topics including his burgeoning presidential campaign and the hot-button issue of giving voting rights to felons. Floridians voted in November to approve a ballot measure allowing ex-convicts to vote.
“I was so inspired by the leaders here in Florida who changed something that was put into place as a means of suppressing African Americans, specifically,” he said. “A century later, what was going on in Florida before you all did this incredible…statewide referendum, you literally had counties in this state where one out of every three African Americans could not vote because criminal justice wasn’t equal.”
Numerous Democrats including Booker have endorsed voting rights for felons, with many supporters saying that Republicans who oppose it are engaging in voter suppression that disproportionately affects minorities. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) generated controversy last week when he suggested that felons including sex offenders and even terrorists like the Boston Marathon bomber should be allowed to vote from prison.
Despite his name recognition and high-profile role in Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing, Booker — who infamously declared himself “Spartacus” in cringeworthy fashion — is currently trailing his competitors in the packed field of primary candidates.
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