Adler defeats Myers to become first 3rd District Democrat in 50 years

(Published: Tuesday, November 04, 2008)

11:34 p.m. Update - MOUNT LAUREL - State Senator John Adler, D-Camden, made history Tuesday night when defeated Republican Chris Myers to become the first Democrat elected to represent the 3rd Congressional District in the House of Representatives in more than a century.

Adler edged Myers in the high profile race that has been hotly contested since U.S. Rep. Jim Saxton, R-3rd, announced he was going to retire last November due to health issues. Saxton represented the third district since he was elected to an unexpired term in 1984 to fill a seat vacated by Edwin B. Forsythe, who died in office.

As of 11 p.m. preliminary totals still showed Myers was ahead of Adler by 4,000 voters with 67 percent of the polls reporting. However, Adler said Myers called to concede the election at around 10:15 p.m.

"The call was brief," Adler said. "I thanked him for the ideas he brought to the race and offered him to sit down with me in the upcoming days and share some of those ideas with me, which he graciously accepted."

With the victory, Adler will be the first Democrat to represent the 3rd District since 1882.