Incumbents Win NJ 18th District Election: AP

(Updated at 1:20 p.m., Thursday)

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — All incumbents running in New Jersey's District 18 have won their re-election bid, according to the Associated Press.

Sen. Patrick Diegnan (D) of South Plainfield won his re-election defeating Republican Vihal Patel of Edison.

Thursday afternoon AP projected Democratic incumbents, Sterley Stanley of East Brunswick and Robert Karabinchak of Edison, as winners.

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The results will remain unofficial pending certification.

Here's the current count:

Senate

• Diegnan: 28,829
• Patel: 20,596

Assembly

• Karabinchak: 29,781
• Stanley: 28,918
• Mott: 22,068
• Fam: 21,423
• Awad: 652
• Kulas: 639

On Thursday morning, Diegnan released a statement thanking everyone for their support. "I look forward to continuing to serve the residents of East Brunswick, Edison, Helmetta, Highland Park, Metuchen, South Plainfield, and South River in the New Jersey State Senate. Let today be the beginning of a new era where we all work together to make New Jersey the best it can be," the Senator said in a Facebook post.

Diegnan has been a state legislator for 21 years. He joined the Senate in 2016 filling a vacancy and then won re-election in November of the same year. He previously served eight terms in the General Assembly. He is the "author of more than 200 pieces of legislation that have been signed into law," according to his website. He currently chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, serves on the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and serves on the Senate Select Committee on NJ Transit.

His opponent Patel is a retired Army combat veteran with 24 years of service. He served two combat tours in Iraq. "As a Combat Veteran and Firefighter, I'm no stranger to Public Service. I didn't know how to completely fulfill my passion for service as I grew older, but after seeing the need for true change in our district, my journey that started as a public servant when I was 19 years old suddenly made sense," Patel said on his campaign website. He is also a firefighter and Hazmat technician and lives in Edison with his family.

District 18 includes East Brunswick, Edison, Helmetta, Highland Park, Metuchen, South Plainfield, and South River.

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