New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker may have been passed over as Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential pick — but at least he’s another woman’s first choice. The Democrat is dating artist and Instagram poet Cleo Wade, who was once linked to “Twilight” hunk Robert Pattinson, Page Six can exclusively reveal.
On Thursday, the pair attended fashion site Refinery29’s “29 Rooms” bash, where an onlooker observed: “They were holding hands through the different rooms and looked very much like a couple.” Added the spy: “He was shaking hands with people who were coming up to him, and she was being very friendly with everyone and patient when they wanted to take his picture. He was saying he came to see her work.”
Wade collaborated on an installation that was on display at the event, featuring a round, red bed with colored pillows, upon which people lie down wearing headphones while watching a screen on the ceiling. We’re told strait-laced Booker, 47, looked somewhat out of place at the Brooklyn party, which was held in an 80,000-square-foot warehouse in Bushwick and attracted celebs like Jessica Alba, Abbi Jacobson, Adrian Grenier and “Quantico” star Priyanka Chopra.
Wade, 27, who is from New Orleans, used to work as a stylist for Katy Perry and writes poems and mantras on Instagram, where she has more than 150,000 followers. (“Let it be about love” is one such mantra.) According to her website, she sits on the creative council of pro-choice action group Emily’s List and the board of the National Black Theatre in Harlem.
Top Democrat Booker, who is so keen to keep his relationships with women private that some have speculated that he is gay, explained in a 2013 interview he likes to keep his romances under wraps because it’s unfair “to a young lady to put [her] in the spotlight if [she hasn’t] signed up for that yet.” He was linked to high-powered Hollywood entertainment lawyer Bianca Levin that same year.
Booker’s office declined to comment.