I finished up a week long road trip last week, crisscrossing the state to hear from as many New Jerseyans as possible about what matters most to them. In the process, I visited all 21 counties in New Jersey.

I was amazed, encouraged, challenged and inspired by the New Jerseyans I met along the way. In every town and county I visited with my team, I noticed new and different things about our great state, but I was also reminded at each stop of a constant truth, best said by one our state’s greatest storytellers: in New Jersey, we take care of our own.

At each stop — whether at a small café or a giant chocolate factory, a prison or a college, a military installation or a soup kitchen — I encountered everyday New Jersey heroes. The people I met demonstrate extraordinary compassion, service and courage in the work that they do and the lives they lead. I couldn’t be more inspired by or more proud to represent them in the U.S. Senate.

Each of the New Jerseyans I came across during our week long road trip — nurses, national guardsmen, small business owners, prison guards, public defenders, prosecutors, doctors, factory workers, veterans, students, the formerly incarcerated, law enforcement and emergency responders — work hard at their jobs. They work to put food on the table, to send kids to school, to make our communities stronger and to make our state a better place.

These New Jerseyans don’t see a Democratic or a Republican way to do their jobs, they just do them. They don’t just talk about the futures they want for themselves and their families, they make their goals reality through their actions. These New Jerseyans, all New Jerseyans, deserve to be served by a federal government that does the same.

This road trip left me more motivated and inspired to get back to work in Washington to serve our state.

Here’s a recap of some of the highlights of my travels… (read the rest here: https://medium.com/@CoryBooker/jerseyroadtrip-21-counties-in-7-days-8a7d5f4f2277#.dhezc9den)