Former state Rep. Charles Booker has won the Democratic Senate primary in Kentucky, per NBC News. Booker was the party’s nominee against GOP Sen. Rand Paul in 2022, and defeated former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath, who lost to Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell in the 2020 general election.
Booker is now set to face Donald Trump-backed Rep. Andy Barr in the fall.
Here’s a look at Booker’s family.
Charles Booker’s wife and children
Booker is married to Tanesha Booker, and the couple share three daughters – Kaylin, Prestyn and Justyce. The couple welcomed their youngest daughter, Justyce, in August 2021. Prestyn was five years old during Justyce’s birth.
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“Being a dad has been the greatest privilege and highest honor. I always say my daughters saved my life. They opened my eyes to my future, and showed me a level of love I never knew existed,” Booker previously said, per WLKY.
Kaylin, who recently turned 18 years old, reportedly cast her first-ever vote in her father’s campaign this year.
Tanesha, who frequently appears alongside her husband on the campaign trail, made headlines in 2014 when she appeared in a campaign ad supporting Alison Lundergan Grimes that criticized McConnell.
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The couple celebrated their 10th anniversary in June 2020. Sharing photos with his wife and kids on Facebook, Booker wrote, “10 years ago, Tanesha agreed to let me bug her the rest of our lives. I still don’t deserve her. Raising a glass to love on our anniversary.”
Booker became the youngest Black state legislator in nearly 90 years after being elected to the state house.
He said at the time, “I don’t come from politics, you know, in our community, you folks that are running for office or in elected office, they’ll come around when it’s election time, but otherwise, we’re invisible, you know, and we’re survivors.”
Booker’s website says, “Charles is a lifelong resident of Louisville’s West End, growing up in what has been one of the poorest zip codes in Kentucky. Growing up, he experienced the pain of poverty firsthand, and saw his mom skip meals just so he could have enough. He’s been homeless, and Charles has had to ration his insulin because he couldn’t afford the medication he needed as a Type 1 Diabetic.”
“Charles became the first in his family to graduate from law school, and went on to lead a transformative career across Kentucky, covering every level of government,” it adds.
