Democratic incumbent Vincent Mazzeo and Republican incumbent Chris Brown both won re-election in what was considered one of the closest races in New Jersey on Tuesday
TRENTON -- The state Assembly seats in south Jersey's 2nd district remain split.
Democratic incumbent Vincent Mazzeo and Republican incumbent Chris Brown both won re-election in what was considered one of the closest races in New Jersey on Tuesday.
Mazzeo's running mate, Atlantic County Freeholder Colin Bell, and Brown's running mate, Atlantic County Freeholder Will Pauls, both lost.
Democrats, seeking to extend their majority in the Assembly, poured millions of dollars into the election, boosted by a super PAC.
MORE: Full N.J. Assembly election results
But in the end, Mazzeo was elected to his second term and Brown to his third term in the district, which includes parts of Atlantic County.
One of the top issues in the race was the fight to save Atlantic City, which has seen four casinos close and thousands of jobs lost over the last two years.
Controversy erupted in the race Tuesday morning when provisional ballots were not distributed to many polling places, leading to an emergency hearing before a Superior Court judge.
A spokesman for the state Attorney General's Office said attorneys from the state Division of Law "advised and represented" the county board of elections on the matter.
MORE: Complete election results from across N.J.
In 2013, Mazzeo edged out Republican incumbent John Amodeo after a month-long recount that ended with Mazzeo being declared winner by 51 votes.
On their Facebook page, the Atlantic County Republicans urged supporters to get out and vote. "Don't let the Democrats steal another election," they wrote.
A hearing was scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday morning before Judge Mark Sandson at Superior Court in Mays Landing to resolve how to count provisional ballots.
NJ Advance Media staff writer S.P. Sullivan contributed to this report.
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
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