Big Jon's Going to Washington

Former Eagles lineman Jon Runyan has made the leap from blocking would-be tacklers on the football field to tackling the People's problems in Washington.

Runyan took 50-percent of the vote to beat Democrat incumbent John Adler to win New Jersey's 3rd District congressional seat.

"I probably will be the largest human being on the hill, but we're gonna take that largeness and actually shrink the size of government," Runyan told supporters in his victory speech.

The political newcomer was locked in a tight, nasty race.

"It's ultimately about peaking on game day, and today is game day," Runyan said after casting his vote in Mt. Laurel.

Runyan ran on a pledge to cut taxes, reduce spending and create jobs.

"We know it's not gonna be easy. People have challenged me my whole life – told me I wasn't fast enough, wasn't athletic enough, wasn't smart enough. But you know what? No one's ever outworked me," Runyan said.

"No candidate across the state worked harder than Jon and no one believed in the people of the district more than Jon did and Jon is now gonna go down to Congress as part of a Republican majority to take our country back," New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said after Runyan's win.

Adler was serving his first term in a district that has long supported Republicans.

A controversy may have cost Adler. His campaign was accused of planting a fake Tea Party candidate on the ballot to siphon votes away from Runyan.

Both Adler and the third candidate, Peter DeStefano, denied any collaborating.

New Jersey's GOP committee asked the Federal Election Commission to investigate.


 

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