Cory Booker wins second term as Newark mayor

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NEWARK, New Jersey (AP) — Cory Booker has handily won a second term as mayor of Newark, a New Jersey city that has struggled with gun violence.

The 41-year-old Booker defeated three challengers Tuesday night. Former county prosecutor Clifford Minor ran a distant second.

With 98 percent of precincts reporting, the city clerk’s tally had Booker with more than 21,000 votes compared to about 12,500 for Minor.

WATCH MAYOR BOOKER DISCUSS ACHIEVING MURDER FREE MONTH MILESTONE WITH RACHEL MADDOW HERE:

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Four years ago, Booker won by a bigger margin, receiving 72 percent of the vote to defeat state Sen. Ronald L. Rice.

Booker calls his victory “a pretty profound statement in an economy and a nation that seems to be throwing out incumbents left and right.”

Newark has succeeded in lowering its violent crime rate, but the city still struggles with gun violence. Booker has vowed to continue his anti-crime initiatives.

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