Pascrell Wins In NJ 9th District, AP Says

This story was last updated at 10:22 p.m.

NJ 9TH — The polls are closed, votes are being counted and, soon, we’ll know the winners of New Jersey’s 9th District congressional race.

Incumbent Bill Pascrell, Jr. is a heavy favorite to win the district again, but is challenged by Republican and fellow Paterson native Billy Prempeh. Third-party candidate Chris Auriemma will also appear on the ballot.

With 215 of 423 precincts reporting, the Associated Press has declared Pascrell the winner in the district.

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Hudson County has reported 19 of 29 precincts, and 136 of 222 precincts in Bergen County have been reported. Passaic County has also begun reporting unofficial results in this race, with Pascrell ahead in the county with 60 of 172 precincts reporting.

These results are unofficial, and still need to be certified.

Here are the latest vote totals from the AP:

• Bill Pascrell, Jr. — 122,964
• Billy Prempeh — 56,113
• Chris Auriemma — 3,736

With the announcement, Prempeh's hopeful prediction earlier Tuesday on Twitter doesn't appear to be coming to fruition.

"From now on, Basement Bill Pascrell's name is officially "Basement Bill PAST-Screll!" he wrote.

According to the Cook Political Report, the 9th District was viewed as “Solid Democrat,” meaning it’s unlikely to be competitive.

Since the change to this year's election was announced by Gov. Phil Murphy because of the coronavirus, there have been many questions about how the process will work.

Every the ballot sent through the mail had to be postmarked by Nov. 3. It must be received by your county's election boards by 8 p.m. on Nov. 10.

"Every vote should be safe. Every vote should be secure. Every vote should be counted," Murphy said of the process.

For full coverage of 2020 elections in New Jersey, click here.

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