State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, is pictured at the Statehouse in Trenton.
Aristide Economopoulos photo for NJ Advace Media
By Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
State Senate President Stephen Sweeney on Wednesday conceded defeat in his re-election race against a virtually unknown Republican challenger, an upset practically nobody expected and one that has stunned New Jersey’s political world.
The South Jersey Democrat blamed ”a red wave” of Republican voter turnout for his loss and insisted his time in politics isn’t over.
“All votes have been fairly counted, and I, of course, accept the results,” a clearly emotional Sweeney, New Jersey’s second-most powerful elected state official after the governor, said during a news conference at the Statehouse in Trenton.
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Sweeney said Wednesday he does not plan to seek a recount in the race.
His concession caps one of the most shocking losses in the history of New Jersey politics and solidifies an end to Sweeney’s 20-year run in the Senate and 12-year tenure as president of the chamber.
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