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He's Arrived! - Cory Booker was sworn into office in the U.S. Senate on Oct. 31 and will join South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott as one of only two Blacks in the upper chamber. Here's a look back at Booker's rise with a bit of advice from political observers about how to move forward.  –  By Joyce Jones  (Photo: AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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In the Beginning - Booker was born on April 27, 1969, in Washington, D.C. His parents, Cary and Carolyn Booker, were civil rights activists and among the first African-American executives at IBM. The family later moved to a predominantly white, affluent town in New Jersey.(Photo: Courtesy of Cory Booker)

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The Talk - "My father when I was growing up said it very simply," Booker told Newark's Star-Ledger. "'Boy, don't you dare walk around here like you hit a triple, 'cause you were born on third base. You are enjoying freedoms, opportunity, technology, things that were given to you bought by the struggle and the sacrifices and the work of those who came before.... Don't forget where you come from."   (Photo: REUTERS/Mike Sega)

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He's a Brainiac - Booker earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's in sociology from Stanford University, where he also played varsity football and was elected senior class president. He also was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University, and earned a J.D. from Yale Law School. (Photo: Ken Levine/Allsport)

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A Leader in the Making - While a student at Stanford, Booker ran a student-run crisis hotline and at law school ran free legal clinics for New Haven residents and served as a Big Brother.  (Photo: The Washington Times/Landov)

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Newcomer's Luck - In 1998, Booker, then 29, defeated four-term Newark city council member George Branch, in a runoff election with about 55 percent of the vote. During his tenure, the New York Times reports, he lobbied for school voucher programs, smaller classes and teacher testing. (Photo: Jemal Countess/Getty Images) 

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Sharing the Pain - While serving on the city council, Booker went on a 10-day hunger strike and lived in a tent to draw attention to drug-related crimes and violence plaguing the city's poorest neighborhoods. (Photo: AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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Sharpe Jabs - In 2002, Booker challenged Newark Mayor Sharpe James in a race that was so acrimonious, the federal government sent in poll watchers to monitor cheating and violence. It also became the topic of an Oscar-nominated documentary called Street Fight. (Photo: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Macy's)

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If at First You Don't Succeed - Booker's second bid to head City Hall was more successful. When Sharpe, who also was a New Jersey state senator, dropped out of the race, state Sen. Ronald Rice became Booker's new opponent and lost.(Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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Early Success - During his first term as mayor, Booker reduced crime and raised the base pay for city employees, while implementing pay cuts for top-earning managers, directors and himself.(Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

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Super Mayor - To help reduce crime, Booker helped patrol the streets. During his second term, in 2010, he drew national headlines  for responding to a constituent's Twitter request to have her father's driveway shoveled out by volunteering to do it himself. In 2012, he saved a woman from a burning building. (Photo: AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

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Be Careful What You Say - Booker gains unwanted attention for defending Bain Capital during an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, calling attacks on Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's tenure at the firm “ridiculous” and “nauseating.”

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There He Goes Again - On June 27, 2013, Booker rescues a second abused dog after a Twitter alert.  (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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A National Stage - On Sept. 4, 2012, Booker addressed the Democratic National Convention. In his remarks he said that the party's platform is "about moving America and our economy forward."(Photo: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Photo By AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

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A Port in the Storm - When Hurricane Sandy struck his state, Booker tweeted invitations for victims to stay at his home. (Photo: Peter Foley/Landov)

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Hunger Game - In December 2012, Booker launched a food stamp challenge, living on less than $30 per week in groceries.(Photo: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

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He's In - On June 8, Booker announced his long-anticipated U.S. Senate bid. (Photo: AP Photo/Mel Evans)

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Risky Business - Booker attracts national attention for his Twitter correspondence with stripper Lynsie Lee. "The East Coast loves you and by the East Coast, I mean me," he wrote. (Photo: AP Photo/Mel Evans)

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Winning! - After winning the primary with about 50 percent of the vote, Booker prevailed in the special election on Oct. 16 to complete the term of late Sen. Frank Lautenberg. (Photo: AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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Choices - "He can go one of two ways. One is to go the Al Franken, Hillary Clinton route, which is to stay out of the spotlight to the best extent possible and focus on the work," said Howard University political scientist Michael Fauntroy. "Or he could go the Ted Cruz route, which is to say, 'I am bigger than the Senate, not withstanding my junior status, and do as much as possible to demonstrate that.'" (Photo: AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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Do You - "Booker is being advised to keep a low profile and follow the Hillary Clinton model [of keeping one's head down in the Senate], but he likes the limelight and is a celebrity. I don't see why he wouldn't make use of it at outset," San Francisco State University political scientist Robert Smith told BET.com. (Photo: Kris Connor/Getty Images)

Photo By Kris Connor/Getty Images

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Bridge Gaps - "His real strengths are bringing together people from the local community and the business community who often seem to talk past each other. If he's able to continue that to solve problems that's a great way for him to be successful," Matthew Hale, chairman of the Seton Hall University political science department, told BET.com.(Photo: AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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Tweet On - "He's got 1.4 million people who follow him on Twitter. That's an amazing set of people who he has the capacity as senator to raise awareness from about issues nationally that not a lot of other senators do," said Hale, "and he can reach people who may not be reading the local newspaper, and that's a tremendous asset." (Photo: Cory Booker via Twitter)