ap photo The first candidate of the 2020 presidential election to visit Marshalltown will be New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. He is set to speak at noon on Saturday at the Iowa River Brewing Co., 107 N. First Street. Doors open at 11:30 a.m.

With the Iowa Caucuses just under a year away, Democratic Party presidential hopefuls are already launching campaigns. The first candidate of the 2020 presidential election to visit Marshalltown will be New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.

He is set to speak at noon on Saturday at the Iowa River Brewing Co., 107 N. First Street. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Marshalltown is one of several stops of his Iowa Rise Tour slated for Feb. 8 and 9, and it is one of the state’s most diverse cities.

Rep. Mark Smith said he helped coordinate the senator’s visit.

“I talked with his staff and gave them several options of places where people could attend, and we always like to showcase Marshalltown businesses whenever possible,” Smith said.

Booker has served as the junior senator from New Jersey since 2013, when he won a special election. Then on Nov. 4, 2014, he was re-elected to a full six-year term. Previously, he served as mayor of Newark for six years and once served on its city council. Booker received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University where he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and went on to study at the University of Oxford where he earned an honors degree in history. He then attended Yale Law School, receiving his J.D. in 1997.

“I encourage folks to attend. The unique situation we have as Iowans to be able to interact with presidential candidates is an amazing phenomenon. We here in Marshalltown have had this opportunity over and over again,” Smith said.

Booker is one of several Democratic presidential hopefuls including Sen. Kamala Harris, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, former Rep. John Delaney, former West Virginia Sate Sen. Richard Ojeda and former tech executive Andrew Yang.

The following Democrats have formed exploratory committees but have not yet officially declared candidacy: Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

A total of 56 percent of Democratic voters have not formed a candidate preference, and no one in the running has double-digit support, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC poll.

The candidate who ultimately receives the Democratic Party nomination will face President Donald Trump in the presidential election.

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Contact Sara Jordan-Heintz at

641-753-6611 or

sjordan@timesrepublican.com