Zwicker Defeats Simon by 76 Votes After All Provisionals Counted
Democratic State Assembly candidate Andrew Zwicker’s lead over incumbent Republican Donna Simon in the 16th District race increased to 76 votes after the final provisional ballots were counted in Middlesex County on Monday.
Zwicker picked up and additional 17 votes in Middlesex County. The election results will be certified tonight. A provisional ballot is used to record a vote when there are questions about a given voter’s eligibility.
Simon could still call for a recount, however. She has not conceded.
Zwicker, a South Brunswick resident and physicist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. gained 10 more votes in Hunterdon County on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and another 28 votes in Mercer County on Nov. 5, widening his lead to 67 votes. On Friday morning, Simon picked up 7 votes in Somerset County.
On election night, Zwicker was ahead of Simon by only 29 votes. Earlier in the evening it appeared as if he had lost, and he and his running mate, Maureen Vella of Hillsborough, conceded.
Republican incumbent Jack Ciattarelli was the top vote-getter in the race for two seats, with 16,526 votes.
The 16th District includes four counties: Mercer, Somerset, Hunterdon and part of Middlesex. The district was redrawn in 2011. Previously Princeton was in the 15th District, a Democratic stronghold. Hunterdon and Somerset counties are Republican strongholds. Ciattarelli and Simon won those counties. Zwicker and Vella dominated in Princeton and South Brunswick
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.
Hip, hip hooray! I love it. Bravo to Andrew Zwicker.