New Jersey State Senate election, 2013

New Jersey State Senate elections, 2013

← 2011 November 5, 2013 2017 →
All 40 seats to the New Jersey Senate 21 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout	34.4%
Majority party Minority party   Leader Steve Sweeney Tom Kean, Jr. Party Democratic Republican Leader's seat District 3 District 21 Last election 24 seats 16 seats Seats won 24 16 Seat change 0 0 Popular vote 899,672 988,214 Percentage 47.4% 52.1%
Democratic hold   Democratic pickup   Republican hold   Republican pickup
Senate President before election Stephen M. Sweeney Democratic Elected Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney Democratic

Stephen M. Sweeney
Democratic

Stephen M. Sweeney
Democratic

The 2013 New Jersey State Senate election coincided with Chris Christie's re-election to a second term as Governor of New Jersey. Christie entered the 2013 cycle as a strong favorite for reelection. Christie held strong approval ratings around the 70% range, and many of the state's top Democrats had decided not to pursue a run against him. Christie's opponent, State Senator Barbara Buono, was viewed as a weak candidate who failed to rally the state's Democratic establishment behind her candidacy.

Although Christie easily won reelection and the Republicans gained the most total votes in this election, they failed to pick up a single seat in the Senate. Indeed, 2013 was an election of remarkable stability in the Senate, as just one seat (that of gubernatorial nominee Buono) failed to return its incumbent to office.