Runyan wins second term in N.J. Third District

Jon Runyan has a much better week than his former Philadelphia Eagles teammates.

Runyan is heading back to Capitol Hill to represent New Jersey’s Third District, having defeated his Democratic challenger, Shelly Adler of Cherry Hill, with 53.5 percent of the vote.

It was an election that that was once considered to be the only competitive congressional race in New Jersey, and Democrats had hoped to win the seat back from Runyan, who was first swept into office on a mid-term GOP tide two years ago.

 Runyan outspent his opponent, the widow of the man he defeated in 2010, John Adler, by a wide margin. He  was helped by a redrawn district that favors Republicans in the GOP-leaning Burlington and Ocean Counties of New Jersey.

After learning of his victory, Runyan addressed supporters at his Mt. Laurel headquarters and struck a bipartisan tone

 “And the great thing about tonight is the election is over, and let’s get back to work in turning this country around,” he said.

Runyan went on to say that he was moved by the events of the past week and how people of every political stripe came together in the wake of Hurricane Sandy which pounded much of his district.

He said the hyperpartisan tone of the election seemed silly to him when he walked into a shelter where people hammered by the storm have taken refuge:

“I had an 80-year-old man saying, ‘I can’t believe these people care this much; it’s refreshing to see that still exists, especially considering the political storm we’ve just been through”

Runyan said it’s time to carry that spirit of bipartisanship to Washington now that the election is over.