 On January 9 , 2002 , Booker announced his campaign for mayor of Newark rather than running for re @-@ election as councilman ; this pitted him against longtime incumbent Sharpe James . James , who had easily won election four consecutive times , saw Booker as a real threat , and responded with mudslinging , at one campaign event calling him " a Republican who took money from the KKK [ and ] Taliban ... [ who 's ] collaborating with the Jews to take over Newark " . In the campaign , James ' supporters questioned Booker 's suburban background , calling him a carpetbagger who was " not black enough " to understand the city . Booker lost the election on May 14 , garnering 47 % of the vote to James ' 53 % . 
