Andrew Zwicker Wins NJ 16 Senate Race: AP

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker has been elected to the Senate in New Jersey’s 16th District, according to the Associated Press.

The South Brunswick resident made history by becoming the first Democrat to represent the district in the Senate. NJ 16 includes Princeton and South Brunswick.

Until Thursday morning, the margins in this race were razor-thin. As of 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon, Zwicker garnered 37,951 votes, with opponent Michael Pappas pulling in 35,058 votes. Pappas, the Township Administrator in Bridgewater, was hoping to keep the seat in Republican hands.

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Zwicker will succeed veteran Republican Kip Bateman who retires from Senate this year.

Meanwhile, Incumbent Assemblyman Roy Freiman (D) has also won his re-election bid, according to the AP. He garnered 37,227 votes. However, there’s no projected winner for the second assembly seat, as the race remains too close to call. The remaining races remain tight. Freiman’s running mate and newcomer Sadaf Jaffer currently has 35,819 votes, with Republicans Vincent T. Panico and Joseph A. Lukac III with 35,273 and 34,629 votes respectively.

The race for New Jersey’s 16th District was a tight battle between the Democrats and Republicans, with candidates from both parties leading at some point.

The results will remain unofficial pending certification.

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