Tipsheet

Something Incredible Happened in New Jersey's Third District on Election Night

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  November 03, 2021 8:00 AM

As Matt detailed Tuesday night, the New Jersey gubernatorial race is shockingly close. Ahead of Election Day, polls showed Gov. Phil Murphy ahead 11 points—which would have been unthinkable even a year ago. But that’s not the only race worth watching in the state. Something incredible happened down ballot.

Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford) and other Assembly Democrats’ seats are “imperiled” in the 3rd District. 

The New Jersey Globe retracted its early call declaring Sweeney, Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D-Paulsboro), and Assemblyman Adam Taliaferro (D-Woolwich) won reelection. 

And their seats aren't in jeopardy from seasoned politicians. “Sweeney and his Assembly slate faced an underfunded challenge from commercial truck driver Ed Durr, EMT Bethanne McCarthy-Patrick, and realtor Beth Sawyer in a district that narrowly voted for Donald Trump twice,” the Globe reported. 

How underfunded? 

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While Sweeney jumped ahead, 53-48 percent, Politico Playbook New Jersey says the race is still close. 

Sweeney and his incumbent Democratic running mates were in a close race last night to a Republican slate that reported raising all of $10,000 as of 11 days before the election. The AP had him leading last night by about five points, but those numbers don't square with what I took off the county clerk websites, which showed Durr leading . And both his running mates are trailing.

[Update: According to NJ.com, Durr is up, 51.61 percent to 48.39 percent]

And with 99.37 percent reporting, McCarthy Patrick and Sawyer are still ahead in their Assembly races against the incumbent Democrats.