Booker’s Not Dropping Out Yet — He Can Thank Bon Jovi

WASHINGTON — Sen. Cory Booker had some help from another well known New Jersey Democrat to meet his self-imposed fundraising goal to stay in the presidential race.

The state's junior Senator said he needed to raise $1.7 million in order to create a "pathway to win" for his campaign.

"I don't believe people should stay in this just to stay in it. You either have a trajectory to win or not, and right now if we don't raise $1.7 million we won't be able to make the investments necessary," he told The Associated Press after speaking at a Democratic Party fundraiser in Des Moines earlier in September.

In a tweet on Monday morning, Booker announced the goal had been met.

"You put us back on a trajectory where we know we can be competitive. There’s a viable path forward, and I’m staying in this race because I know we can win it," Booker wrote.

Booker also had some help from Jon Bon Jovi to encourage donations in the form of an email he sent on Saturday, according to a tweet by Washington Examiner reporter Emily Larson.

Jon wrote in his email that he can't think of anyone better to bring a strong call for unity and a renewed sense of shared purpose.

"To put it simply, I think Cory Booker is a great man who would do an amazing job in the White House. I'm lucky to call him a friend and all of us would be lucky to call him our president. I hope you'll join me in supporting him," Jon wrote.

Jon Bon Jovi hosted fundraisers for Booker in March at a private home in Red Bank and August in the Hamptons.

Booker has qualified for a spot in the next debate, in October. But he has struggled with fundraising and yet to break through in either early state or national polls.

The most recent Monmouth University poll showed him to be the state's most popular statewide elected official but his job approval rating was down.

Booker’s presidential campaign hasn’t caught fire in his home state, the poll found. Just 9% of Democrats in the state say he’s their preferred candidate for the Oval Office, and only 29% percent of residents say he would make a good president.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report