Cory Booker has won former Senator Frank Lautenberg's seat in the U.S. Senate.
Booker's win means the seat will remain in the hands of the Democratic party. The seat had been fought for between two men at opposite ends of the political spectrum.
According to NJ.com, Booker walked away with 55 percent of the votes, a total of 713,594. Lonegan came in second with 44 percent of the votes totaling 579,388. Bergen County fell within the average, giving 57 percent of its votes to Booker and 43 percent to the GOP's Lonegan.
Booker hopes to take his track record in Newark and expand it nationally. On the campaign trail, he referenced his successes in Newark as mayor, bringing in new businesses and improving the school systems.
This is what some New Jersey college students are looking for: more jobs for college graduates and lower costs of schooling.
"I'm mostly relieved that Booker won, I really don't like anything the Tea Party stands for," says Matthew Gilbert, sophomore. "I think he has done a good job in Newark, so I think he'll do well in the Senate."
College students have been asking for relief in multiple areas and are hoping that Booker is as genuine as he seems when it comes to his politics, although some voters doubt his authenticity.
"Cory Booker as a whole, though, he kind of has the reputation of being a corrupt politician; I don't necessarily agree with him on that, although I do like what he's done. Personally, I think there were several other Democrats that were better candidates because of his corrupt reputation," says Sean Keough, a junior at Ramapo.
Coming off of a 16 day government shutdown, students said that strong leadership in Washington is a priority and are hopeful that Booker might be able to bring some new blood to the dying art of negotiation at the Capitol.
"Having Cory Booker in Washington, I think, is beneficial because we need some sort of closure to everything that's been going on nationally, especially right now with the government shutting down – we need some sort of voice of reason. Maybe this would answer, at least for New Jersey, if not the northeast, that we need to move in one direction," says Keough.
Having a democratic leader at the reigns will hopefully bring more funding for education and development programs, as well as expanded aid for the less fortunate and elderly. Some voters are just happy to see another democrat fill the seat.
"I'm glad to know I voted for him in the democratic primary election, it's always good to vote for a winner," says Chris Smith, a Ramapo senior.
bnazzaro@ramapo.edu
