2020 Democratic candidate Sen. Cory Booker took a dig at Democrats in an interview with HuffPost Thursday, saying his party's opposition to nuclear energy is just as a bad as Republicans who deny climate science.
Why it matters: As reporter Alexander Kaufman notes, the New Jersey senator's statement is one of the sharpest criticisms of anti-nuclear stances in the primary battle, and "grazes a particularly sensitive nerve in the climate policy debate."
The big picture: Booker is echoing view among many analysts that decarbonizing power relatively fast would be extraordinarily tough if plants are closing, and that construction of next-wave reactors should be an option.
The intrigue: It highlights a sharp energy policy split between Booker, who is lagging in the polls, and anti-nuclear positions of Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who are much closer to frontrunner Joe Biden.
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