Democrats have secured one of the two key pickup opportunities they were fighting for in the Garden State this cycle by swinging the 3rd district seat of retiring Rep. Jim Saxton into their column.

With 67 percent of precincts reporting, the Associated Press called the contest for state Sen. John Adler (D), who had been locked in a tough battle with Medford Mayor Chris Myers (R).

It was a contest that brought millions of dollars of spending by both national parties into the central New Jersey district.

Adler’s high name recognition in the district stemmed from a long career in the New Jersey legislature and the fact that he ran for the seat once before in the 1990s, when he failed to beat Saxton.