Democratic Senate candidate Lisa McCormick says she would “abolish billionaires.”

Democratic Senator Cory Booker as received financial support from many of President Donald Trump's billionaire contributors, and he has voted to confirm some of the Republican's top appointees.

Anti-establishment Democratic Senate candidate Lisa McCormick launched the first salvo of her long-shot campaign this week with a stark, thirty-second advertisement that says she would “abolish billionaires.”

The spot, now streaming across digital platforms in New Jersey, delivers a simple, incendiary premise: billionaires do not create wealth; they take it.

“Most billionaire wealth is taken, not earned. Sixty percent of their wealth is from inheritance, monopoly power, or crooked connections. They are takers, not makers of wealth. It is time to abolish billionaires to create a more equal future for everyone,” says the spot over images of yachts, opulent estates, and stark economic disparity.

The ad marks the opening gambit in McCormick’s uphill battle to unseat incumbent Senator Cory Booker in the June 2, 2026, Democratic primary. Its message is a direct affront to the economic architecture that has funded Booker’s political career.

“Most billionaire wealth is taken, not earned,” a narrator intones “Sixty percent of their wealth is from inheritance, monopoly power, or crooked connections. They are takers, not makers.”

“I am running in New Jersey’s 2026 Democratic primary for US Senate, because we should cap wealth at $100 million to eliminate the oligarchy and pay for the things we all need,” said McCormick, who previously took two of five votes away from disgraced former US Senator Bob Menendez in 2018.

In the June 2, 2026, Democratic primary, McCormick is expected to face incumbent Cory Booker, who has accepted political contributions from more than four dozen billionaires, as he raised nearly $100 million for his campaigns since 1998.

McCormick, who captured a surprising 40% of the vote against then-Senator Bob Menendez in the 2018 Democratic primary, is centering her campaign on a proposal as unambiguous as it is radical: a legal cap on personal wealth at $100 million.

“I am running because we should cap wealth at $100 million to eliminate the oligarchy and pay for the things we all need,” McCormick said in an interview. “Here in New Jersey, families are working harder than ever, yet we are losing ground as the richest one percent see their fortunes double and triple.”

The McCormick campaign aims to frame the contest as a choice between a grassroots movement and a compromised political brand. Booker, the state’s first Black U.S. senator and a national figure since his tenure as mayor of Newark, has raised nearly $100 million for his campaigns since 1998.

An analysis of federal records shows his campaigns have accepted contributions from more than four dozen billionaires. During his initial 2013 and 2014 Senate races, he was the top beneficiary of Wall Street money in Congress, drawing over $2.2 million from the securities and investment industry.

Anti-establishment Democratic Senate candidate Lisa McCormick launched the first salvo of her long-shot campaign this week with a stark, thirty-second advertisement that says she would "abolish billionaires.”

“Booker defended vulture capitalism because he is addicted to Wall Street money,” McCormick said, referencing his 2012 criticism of the Obama campaign’s attacks on Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital, which he called “nauseating.”

The Booker campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the new advertisement or McCormick’s allegations. His record presents a complex profile. In February 2018, he pledged to forgo corporate political action committee money, a vow McCormick contends is contradicted by his subsequent disclosure reports.

He has been a reliable vote for military aid to Israel, including approving specific sales of thousands of heavy bombs and assault rifles, arguing that blocking such sales would undermine U.S. diplomatic leverage.

In 2017, he drew ire from progressives for voting against a measure to import prescription drugs from Canada, citing safety concerns—a stance that aligned with a major New Jersey industry from which he had received significant financial support.

The contrast extends beyond policy to personal narrative. Booker co-founded a video startup, Waywire, with backing from media and tech elites. McCormick, a newspaper publisher and yoga instructor, is relying on a volunteer-driven, door-to-door effort.

“Our nation deserves leadership that delivers results—not excuses,” McCormick said. “While Republicans have been imposing tyranny and giving tax breaks to the wealthy, Cory Booker has utterly failed to stop them.”

The advertisement, which will run for five months, seeks to tap into a deep well of economic anxiety and political disillusionment. It concludes with a blunt call to action: “It is time to abolish billionaires to create a more equal future for everyone.”

Whether this message can resonate in a state known for machine politics and high-media costs remains an open question. But for the next five months, a heresy against the established economic gospel will be playing on New Jersey screens, insisting that the emperor’s finery was never paid for, but taken. The test will be whether voters show up to take back the power that has been robbed from them.