New Jersey Congressman Bemoans Democratic Losses: ‘F*cking Disaster Down Ballot’

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A Democratic New Jersey congressman on Wednesday colorfully bemoaned his party’s losses in the state’s Tuesday elections.

“Fucking disaster down ballot and way too close at the top,” the lawmaker said in a comment to Politico Playbook. “Not enough excitement at top of NJ ticket — Biden, Covid, etc. No accomplishments. Should have passed infrastructure a month ago.”

The state’s Hudson County reported just after noon on Wednesday that it had double-counted early voters, inadvertently giving Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy an extra 10,732 votes while subtracting 2,842 from Republican challenger Jack Ciattrelli’s total. Murphy held a razor-thin edge over Ciattrelli as of Wednesday afternoon in a race that he had been expected to easily win, with 1,199,614 votes to Ciattarelli’s 1,184,723.

Democrats on the ballot for the state’s 120 legislative seats fared even more poorly, including Democratic Senate President Steve Sweeney. The Senate leader was set to lose his seat as of Wednesday afternoon, trailing Republican Edward Durr by more than 2,000 votes with 99 percent of ballots counted. A commercial truck driver, Durr reported spending just $153 on his campaign — including $66.64 at Dunkin Donuts.

An unnamed state Democrat on Wednesday took an even more dramatic tone in describing the party’s losses than the congressman who spoke with Politico, telling Insider NJ, “South Jersey is dead.” The publication noted that Murphy “at the top of the ticket in South Jersey proved the kiss of death for Sweeney’s allies” in the Senate.