By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 23:55 EST, 16 October 2013 | UPDATED: 07:26 EST, 17 October 2013 Newark Mayor Cory Booker has been elected as the new Senator for New Jersey after winning  a special election Wednesday night. The win now gives the rising Democratic star a bigger political stage after beating conservative Steve Lonegan, a former small-town mayor. With nearly all precincts reporting, Booker had 55 per cent of the vote to Lonegan's 44 per cent. Scroll down for video Next stop, Washington: Cory Booker has been elected as the next Senator of New Jersey The first reaction from the social-media savvy victor came, of course, on Twitter: 'Thank you so much, New Jersey, I'm proud to be your Senator-elect.'
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The popular mayor of Newark is now a member of the Senate
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A special election was held to replace the spot left open after Senator Frank Lautenberg died
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If he wants to serve for a full term, Booker will have to run again in November 2014
'That's why I'm going to @placeholder - to take back that sense of pride.