The longest-serving state Senate president in New Jersey history, who lost his seat to a Trump-supporting truck driver, announced Monday he plans to run for governor.
Stephen Sweeney was the top lieutenant of the South Jersey Democratic Party machine. He was the most powerful man in the state Legislature, serving 12 years as president, until he lost his seat in 2021 to Edward Durr, a Republican truck driver who had virtually no name recognition or campaign funding.
“Sometimes in life, you face setbacks,” Sweeney said in a video announcing his run for New Jersey governor, which he posted to X, the site formerly known as Twitter. “But New Jerseyans get up, we dust ourselves off, we get back to work, because that’s who we are.”
Sweeney has not yet replied to a request for an interview.
He is not likely to gain the support of progressive Democrats in New Jersey. In 2011, he worked closely with former Republican Gov. Chris Christie to cut pension and health benefits for teachers, police and other public employees. When Democrat Phil Murphy became governor, the two men clashed over passing a millionaire’s tax, which Murphy had proposed.
Sweeney got his start in politics fighting for the rights of people with disabilities.
“If you knew me, you might have thought of me as a tough guy. But when our baby Lauren was born prematurely with Down syndrome, it turned my world upside down,” he said in his campaign video. “Then I learned how hard it can be to get services for people with special needs.”
Sweeney, 64, was an ironworker and union leader who began his political career on the Gloucester County Commission in 1997. He was then elected to the state Senate in 2001 and served in both positions for eight years.
Sweeney is the childhood friend of George Norcross, the party boss who extended his power from South Jersey across the whole state by building an alliance with Christie when he served as governor.
His experience in the Legislature means he understands a…
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