The Associated Press declared Booker the winner the moment polls closed at 8 p.m. With 94% of ballots counted on Nov. 4, the Democratic incumbent led Republican Justin Murphy 62.1% to 35.3%.

Booker will join other Democratic leaders next week in Denver for a "What's Next" summit, but he has not ruled out seeking the presidency in two years. Asked directly whether he has made up his mind about running for the Democratic nomination, Booker said no.

"My focus right now is being a voice in this country, a leader in this nation," Booker told reporters. "I'm a New Jersey guy, we want to play big, and I'm going to do everything I can to help redeem the dream of America, to make this nation work for everybody."

The senator said the nation's real divide is between people's aspirations and what they can afford.

"They do not believe, whether it's home buying or being able to pay the rent and health care costs, it's becoming too hard to have what we believe is the fulfillment of the American promise," he said.

Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, said Booker's path to a national campaign is becoming clearer.

"He certainly sounds like a national figure; he very clearly is thinking about affordability issues, economic issues," Rasmussen said. "Based on everything we've seen, his fundraising, his big margin of victory, it seems to me that it's likely that we will see him running for president in 2028."

Rasmussen noted that Booker has shifted his Senate committee assignments in recent years to focus on pocketbook issues. Booker currently serves on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, as well as the Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees.

"He appears to be basing his candidacy around the idea of strengthening the middle class, getting back some of what it has lost," Rasmussen said.

Booker told reporters he plans to push for a bold economic agenda in the months ahead, invoking the legacy of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal.

"We need a bold new vision in our country, we need new leadership, we need to have a New Deal-like moment, where we reset the economic table and create a nation where there can really be prosperity for all," he said. "I think we need to be a nation that resets the economic deal that Americans have, that hard work pays again. That you can raise a family in this nation and not have yourself constrained by fierce financial realities. We can have a country of abundance for everybody, not just a few."

Rasmussen said that after two terms of President Donald Trump, Booker understands that 2028 will be about turning the page.

"It's about starting over, starting fresh, a new chapter, a new day," Rasmussen said. "It's about not being stuck in the same paradigms that we've been stuck in."

Rasmussen expects a crowded Democratic primary field that could include Booker, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and others.

"The names go on and on, that's a healthy thing, and Democrats should want to present their visions, and let voters have a say," Rasmussen said.

Booker previously ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 but dropped out due to insufficient campaign funds. His landslide reelection and new focus on economic populism suggest he may be positioning himself for a second attempt.