Victory over Sweeney led to long political career

James Saxton parlayed a series of narrow victories and political opportunities into a successful career in New Jersey politics that spanned four decades.

Saxton was the 32-year-old Bordentown Republican Municipal Chairman in 1975 when he made his first run for the Legislature, challenging Democratic Assemblyman John Sweeney in a politically competitive district that included parts of Burlington, Ocean, Monmouth and Mercer counties. Sweeney, who later became Chief Counsel to Governor James Florio and is now a Superior Court Judge,  had been elected in the 1973 Democratic landslide, ousting GOP incumbent Kenneth Wilkie.  Saxton ousted Sweeney by 3,018 votes - 24,831 to 21,813.  He had no trouble holding the seat in 1977 and 1979.

In 1981, Senate Minority Leader Barry Parker gave up his eighth districts seat to run for Governor (he finished fifth in the GOP primary, losing to Thomas Kean, Sr.) and Saxton moved up to the Senate - won a 2-1 victory over his Democratic opponent in a district that became substantially more Republican after redistricting.  He was easily re-elected in 1983.

After an extended illness, eight-term Republican Congressman Edwin Forsythe died in March, 1984 at the age of 68.  Saxton became a candidate for the open seat, and narrowly won the GOP primary; he defeated Ocean County Clerk Dean Haines by four percentage points - a margin of 1,188 votes.  In that primary, Saxton won 85% in Burlington, while Haines won 84% in Ocean.  Saxton's victory came when he ran well in Cherry Hill, despite the presence of a hometown candidate, three-term Assemblyman John Rocco, who won 14% district wide.

Through twelve general elections (Saxton actually won two of them in November 2004 when he ran for Forsythe's unexpired term), Saxton was never really in danger of losing - even against John Adler in 1990 and Susan Bass Levin in 2000.