Ousted NJ Senate President To Run For Governor In 2025: Report

NEW JERSEY — Outgoing State Senate President Steve Sweeney’s shocking loss to upstart Republican Ed Durr last month doesn’t seem to have had an impact on his political future.

The longtime Senate Democrat has toyed with the idea of running for governor for a few years, and that appears to still be in the plans.

Sweeney told a group of union members at the New Jersey State Association of Pipe Trades convention in Atlantic City that heintends to run for governor in 2025, the New Jersey Globe reports.

Sweeney didn't return Patch's request for comment on the issue, but there has been speculation that he would run for governor for several years.

He considered runs in 2013 and 2017 before bowing out each time. Sweeney had previously said he would run in 2025 anyway, even before he lost this year’s senate in the Third Legislative District, which he has represented since 2002, according to the New Jersey Globe.

Even in his concession speech, Sweeney hinted that he would not disappear altogether from the New Jersey political landscape. Read more here: Senate President Sweeney Concedes NJ Election Loss To Edward Durr

"New Jerseyans want this to be a place where all residents can afford to live and thrive," Sweeney said at the time. "I will be speaking from a different podium, but I promise you: I will be just as loud and just as forceful a voice for change."

Governor would be the next logical step for Sweeney, who as State Senate Speaker since 2010 was the second most powerful political figure in the state.

Sweeney, who is seen as a moderate Democrat, acknowledged the voices of the voters in the 2021 election, saying, “As leaders, we need to speak to the concerns of all voters. I plan to keep speaking to those concerns. I plan to remain fully involved in public affairs in New Jersey.”

Durr, a truck driver who famously spent $153 on his campaign, unseated the incumbent senator last month. He was motivated to run to fix New Jersey’s economy and gun laws, and said Sweeney sat back and said nothing while Gov. Phil Murphy mismanaged the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sweeney’s running mates, Assemblymen John Burzichelli and Adam Taliaferro, also lost their seats, to Republicans Beth Sawyer and Bethanne McCarthy Patrick.

During his time as senator, Sweeney represented a district that covers all of Salem County and parts of Gloucester and Cumberland counties. In his concession speech, he touted his efforts to help unions.

Should he run for governor in 2025, Sweeney may be up against Republican Jack Ciattarelli. Following his loss to Gov. Phil Murphy this year, Ciattarelli said in his concession speech that he plans to run for governor in 2025. Read more here: Jack Ciattarelli Concedes In Tight NJ Governor Race