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Sen. Cory Booker Maintains Optimism About Bringing Change To Washington

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - It's Election Day across the region. But newly sworn in Sen. Cory Booker gets to sit this one out.

He was elected to take over the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg's seat last month in a special election.

On Tuesday, he spoke with WCBS 880 to talk about his new role as U.S. Senator and about the election at home.

Sen. Cory Booker Maintains Optimism About Bringing Change To Washington

"I was out all weekend in New Jersey. I must've traveled to a couple dozens towns and many different counties running around for everything from the Barbara Buono campaign to really getting people to understand that this is a state where you could raise the minimum wage just by coming out to vote," Booker told WCBS 880. "It's an exciting election in New Jersey and we're trying to get as many people out to vote as possible."

Buono is challenging incumbent Republican Gov. Chris Christie, a man Booker called a friend.

LINK: NJ Division Of Elections

Booker also expressed confidence in his temporary replacement as mayor, City Councilman Luis Quintana.

The newly minted senator was asked whether his desire to bring change to Washington has been beaten down.

"Anybody who knows me knows it's hard to beat me down. And the great thing about my strategy for making a difference for New Jersey is I've got a Jersey agenda here and a Jersey agenda at home," Booker told WCBS 880. "I'm a very creative elected, we showed that in Newark, New Jersey by doing a lot of things that had nothing to do with my job as mayor. It was just me going out there and hustling, being creative and entrepreneurial. I'm going to bring a lot of ideas to both here in Washington and at home to help people out."

Booker was sworn in on Oct. 31. His term will expire on Jan. 3, 2015.

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