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Article snippet: Sen. MORE’s name comes up frequently in talk about the 2020 presidential race, but some Democrats wonder if he has what it takes to compete in what could be a crowded primary. While Democrats say Booker, 48, is one of the party’s “fresh faces” compared to elder statesmen like former Vice President MORE, they aren’t sure he has created a lane for himself against would-be rivals. “It’s a very high ceiling but he hasn’t met early expectations,” said one top Democratic strategist who has worked on several presidential campaigns. “He needs a signature fight or issue to really differentiate himself. “There’s a reputation that’s maybe unfairly adhered itself to him of being a gadfly, a show horse, not a workhorse,” the strategist added. “Some of it happens because he gives a good speech and seems to relish social media.” Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute in New Jersey put it this way: “He is someone who thinks about the issues but he’s not somebody who is going to fork through every line of the budget.” Booker’s office did not respond to a request for comment on this story. But in an interview earlier this year on “The Ezra Klein Show,” Booker acknowledged that Democrats want him to be a little tougher. “Democrats all the time, where they say, ‘Enough with the love and kindness stuff, Cory. We've got to fight.'’ And I say, ‘When are those mutually exclusive?’” “I think again we lose a bit of our moral compass when we are dem... Link to the full article to read more