Former Booker campaign staffer will run for Congress in Maryland

Joe Vogel, a former campaign aide to U.S. Senator Cory Booker, announced today that he will run for Congress next year in Maryland’s 6th congressional district. Vogel, who at 26 would be one of the youngest members of Congress if elected, worked on Booker’s 2020 presidential campaign before being elected to the Maryland House of Delegates last year.

Mo Butler, Booker’s top political advisor, complimented Vogel to the New Jersey Globe, saying that he was a valuable member of Booker’s campaign team.

“I can say that Joe is is really smart, focused, and dedicated to public service, in a way that’s rare for a person his age,” Butler said. “Folks are turned off by the acrimony in politics, and he’s working to bring us together.”

According to local Maryland news site MoCo360, among Vogel’s early campaign hires is Lauren Dikis, who worked as national finance director on Booker’s 2020 presidential campaign.

Maryland’s 6th district voted for Joe Biden by 10 points in 2020, making it the most competitive district in the state, though it still clearly leans towards Democrats. Incumbent Rep. David Trone is running for the U.S. Senate in 2024, and Vogel is the first candidate to announce a campaign to succeed him.

“We need a new generation of leaders in Washington to understand exactly what’s at stake in this moment,” Vogel said in his campaign launch video.