New Jersey state Senate President Steve Sweeney turned back a stubborn challenge from Republican Fran Grenier in Tuesday's general election.
Sweeney, 58, a Democrat, will serve four more years in what will be his sixth term in the Senate representing the 3rd Legislative District, which includes Salem County and parts of Cumberland and Gloucester counties.
In unofficial tallies, with 59 percent of the vote counted, Sweeney received 31,540 votes to Grenier's 22,204, according to The Associated Press.
Sweeney, the second most powerful elected official in the state, was targeted this cycle by the New Jersey Educational Association, which endorsed Grenier.
The teachers union typically backs mostly Democratic candidates but its political action committee tried to oust Sweeney with TV ads and mailers, and with a website that brands the longtime legislator as "caving to [Governor Chris] Christie.
To counter, Sweeney and his supporters were forced to spend millions to protect his seat.
Sweeney first provoked the union's ire in 2011, when Sweeney and Christie worked together to overhaul the state's public-worker pension system. Then, last year, Sweeney gave his word to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to guarantee higher state payments to the pension system, then abandoned it.
OTHER STATE SENATE CONTESTS
All results are unofficial and compiled by the Associated Press as of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.
In the 1st Legislative District, which includes Cape May County and parts of Atlantic and Cumberland counties, Democratic incumbent Jeff Van Drew defeated Republican challenger Mary Gruccio with 65 percent of the vote.
In the 2nd Legislative District, comprising part of Atlantic County, Republican Chris Brown took 54 percent of the vote in a defeat of Democrat Colin Bell.
In the 4th Legislative District, which includes part of Gloucester and Camden counties, Democratic incumbent Fred H. Madden won unopposed.
In the 5th Legislative District, which includes parts of Camden and Gloucester counties, Democratic incumbent Nilsa Cruz-Perez collected 65 percent of the vote in a defeat of Republican Keith Walker.
In the 6th Legislative District which includes part of Camden County, Democratic incumbent James Beach defeated Republican Robert Shapiro with 69 percent of the vote.
In the 7th Legislative District, which includes part of Burlington County, incumbent Democrat Troy Singleton took 66 percent of the vote in a defeat of Republican John Browne.
In the 8th Legislative District, which includes parts of Burlington and Camden counties, Republican Dawn Marie Addiego was more than 2,500 votes ahead of Democrat George B. Youngkin. That race had not yet been called.
In the 9th Legislative District, which includes parts of Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean counties, Republican incumbent Christopher J. Connors picked up 65 percent of the vote, turning aside a challenge from Democrat Brian Corley White.
N.J. GENERAL ASSEMBLY
In the 1st Legislative District, which includes Cape May County and parts of Atlantic and Cumberland counties, bracketed incumbent Democrats Bob Andrzejczak and R. Bruce Land took a collective 61 percent of the vote, knocking off Republicans James R. Sauro and Robert G. Campbell.
In the 2nd Legislative District, which comprises part of Atlantic County, bracketed Democratic incumbents Vince Mazzeo and Democrat John Armato took 54 percent of the vote in a defeat of Republican challengers Vince Sera and Brenda Taube.
In the 3rd Legislative District, which includes Salem County and parts of Cumberland and Gloucester counties, bracketed Democrats John J. Burzichelli and Adam Taliaferro collected 59 percent of the vote as they knocked off bracketed Republicans Philip J. Donohue and Linwood H. Donelson III.
In the 4th Legislative District, which includes part of Gloucester and Camden counties, bracketed incumbent Democrats Paul D. Moriarty and Gabriela M. Mosquera topped Republicans Patricia Jefferson Kline and Eduardo J. Maldonado, collecting 63 percent of the vote.
In the 5th Legislative District, which includes parts of Camden and Gloucester counties, bracketed Democrats Patricia Egan Jones and Arthur Barclay took 66 percent of the vote, defeating challenging Republicans Kevin Ehret and Teresa L. Gordon.
In the 6th Legislative District, which includes part of Camden County, Democrats Louis D. Greenwald and Pamela R. Lampitt defeated their Republican challengers, Winston Extavour and David C. Moy, with 70 percent of the vote.
In the 7th Legislative District, which includes part of Burlington County, bracketed Democrats Herb Conaway, an incumbent, and Carol Murphy took 65 percent of the vote as they defeated Republicans Octavia Scott and Robert Thibault.
In the 8th Legislative District, which includes parts of Burlington and Camden counties, Republican incumbent Joe Howarth (27,820) and Republican newcomer Ryan Peters (27,603) held slim leads over bracketed Democrats Joanne Schwartz (27,226) and Maryann Merlino (27,057). That race had not yet been called.
In the 9th Legislative District, which includes parts of Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean counties, bracketed incumbent Republicans Brian E. Rumpf and Dianne C. Gove took 63 percent of the vote over Democratic challengers Jill Dobrowansky and Ryan Young.
STATEWIDE BALLOT QUESTIONS
Question No. 1: "Do you approve the New Jersey Library Construction Bond Act?"
According to Associated Press numbers, roughly 59 percent of voters opted in favor of the act, which authorizes the state to issue $125 million in bonds for grants to public libraries throughout the state. The grants will be used to build, equip and expand libraries to increase capacity and better serve the public, officials said.
Question No. 2: "Do you approve amending the Constitution to dedicate all moneys collected by the State relating to natural resource damages in cases of contamination of the environment?"
Some 68 percent of voters approved of this amendment, which would dedicate money collected by the state relating to natural resource damages through settlements or awards for legal claims based on environmental contamination.
The money would have to be used to repair, restore, replace or preserve the state’s natural resources and would be spent in an area as close as possible to the geographical area in which the damage occurred. It may also be used to pay legal or other costs incurred by the state in pursuing its claims.
Before Tuesday's result, the state could use the money for any purpose.