Booker: I’m Heterosexual. That’s My ‘Authentic Self’

WASHINGTON — Senator Cory Booker made the rare move of going on the record about his sexuality this weekend: He's straight.

Speaking to the Philadelphia Inquirer about his timetable for deciding on a run for president — and the prospect of being the first single president since the late 1800s — New Jersey's junior senator said he is heterosexual.

”Every candidate should run on their authentic self, tell their truth, and more importantly, or mostly importantly, talk about their vision for the country," Booker told the newspaper.

Booker has described himself in the past as straight, but often declined to answer questions about his personal life instead. In 2013, he said he does so because "I want to challenge people on their homophobia," the Washington Post reported at the time.

"I love seeing on Twitter when someone says I'm gay, and I say, 'So what does it matter if I am? So be it. I hope you are not voting for me because you are making the presumption that I'm straight,'" he said at the time.

In the interview, Booker said he has set aside time with family and friends to discuss a possible run for the White House, which he called "an incredibly serious challenge" but said he not set a deadline to decide on or announce a candidacy.

Booker is potentially the first single president elected since James Buchanan, who got married during his second term. His orphaned niece, Harriet Lane, whom he adopted, served as White House hostess.

Booker has been spending time in Iowa and New Hampshire during the fall.

Barack Obama’s 2008 New Hampshire primary director said he is helping Cory Booker. In an email to CNBC, Jim Demers said he has introduced Booker to “multiple elected officials in NH."