Newark Mayor Cory Booker speaks during a news conference on June 8, 2013 in Newark.
U.S. Senate candidate Cory Booker canceled his remaining campaign events in New Jersey Thursday — less than a week before the election — following the death of his father, Cary Booker, according to a statement from his campaign.
Cary Booker, 79, recently suffered from a stroke and struggled with Parkinson’s disease. He died in Las Vegas on Thursday, the Associated Press reports. His son Cory, the 44-year-old mayor of Newark, N.J., is considered a front-runner in the special election for the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s (D) Senate seat. A recent poll from Quinnipiac University placed Booker ahead of former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan (R) by 12 points, the Washington Post reports. New Jersey residents will cast their votes next Wednesday.