U.S. Senator Cory Booker’s (D-NJ) closest allies continue to try to assuage the fears of their New Jersey allies worried about Booker’s inability to show stronger polling numbers ahead of the 2020 presidential contest.

He has great organization on the ground in Iowa, they insist, which doesn’t show up in the polls.

He has had celebrated debate performances and is poised for a breakout moment, they argue.

He’s… right… there!

But now another concern has emerged among skeptical party members back home, which is forcing them to consider a Booker contingency plan, according to a Democratic Party source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Several key backroom members backing Booker had figured that if their home state junior senator fails to find his footing, they could pivot from Booker to former Vice President Joe Biden. The smart money for their support was the front-runner, the source told InsiderNJ. But now, Biden looks soft, his status shaky at best amid a pileup of gaffes and questions about influence peddling.

Biden’s avuncular atavism plucks the heartstrings, the source said, but not in a good way, and while they express concern about Booker’s inability to breakout in the polls, they suspect Biden’s top of the heap polling status is inflated and artificial.

The question becomes where do they go, those New Jersey power players eager to influence the presidential race?

The source said he was keenly watching the ascent of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, whose polling shows her consistently trending upward.

If Plan A was Booker and Plan B was Biden (with an understanding that Biden would almost absolutely require a woman running mate), an incipient Plan C appears to be Warren with a strong push for Booker on the national ticket running in the vice presidential slot.

To the extent that Warren builds onto her lead and at any point consistently asserts front-runner status, the source said don’t expect to see Booker to go after her the way he systemically tried to chop down Biden, as New Jersey allies plan to help keep him alive on the national front if he’s not the party nominee for president.