Cory Booker Weighing Senate Run

'The charismatic young Newark mayor, who had floated the possibility of taking on New Jersey governor Chris Christie, has said he is instead weighing a potential Senate run.

Booker announced his intention in a posting on his website titled "Finishing the Work We Started," in which he wrote that "will explore the possibility of running for The United States Senate in 2014."

Should he run, Booker would be gunning for the seat currently occupied by Senator Frank Lautenberg. As the senior of New Jersey’s two Democratic senators, the 88-year-old Lautenberg is also the Senate’s oldest member.

Despite his status as Senate elder, Lautenberg has said he plans to run for another term when his current one ends in 2014. Booker suggested that his candidacy would go forward only with Lautenberg’s blessing.

"I look forward to consulting with Senator Lautenberg," Booker wrote. "During my lifetime, he has been one of New Jersey's most important leaders. It would be a privilege to continue his great legacy of service."

Booker has made a name for himself in part with stunts that went beyond his political duties. His extracurricular exploits include saving a neighbor from a burning house and living off of food stamps for a week in a response to a challenge from a Twitter follower. (Booker, a prolific tweeter, has used the service to respond to constituents, including dispatching plows to dig out Newark residents inundated in snow.)