Stephen M. Sweeney (born June 11, 1959) is an American politician and labor leader who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2022, representing the 3rd legislative district. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 114th President of the New Jersey Senate from 2010 to 2022 and served as the body's majority leader from 2008 to 2010. A Union Ironworker by trade, Sweeney was frequently described as a political power broker in New Jersey politics and identifies as a moderate and a fiscal conservative. His legislative tenure ended after he was defeated in 2021 by Republican Edward Durr in what was considered a major political upset. Following his defeat, Sweeney announced he would run for governor in 2025. Early life Sweeney was born on June 11, 1959, in Camden, New Jersey, and graduated from Pennsauken High School in 1977. He is of Irish ancestry. He joined Ironworkers Local 399 (of Camden, New Jersey) and gained journeyman status on January 1, 1980. Career Sweeney serves as general vice president of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers. Gloucester County Commissioner Sweeney served on the Gloucester County Board of County Commissioners, a post he held since 1997, and served as the Director of the board from January 6, 2006, until he left office in 2010. During that period of time he simultaneously held a seat in the New Jersey Senate and was a Freeholder, a practice known as "double dipping" that was allowed under a grandfather clause in a 2007 state law that prevents dual-office-holding but allows those who had held both positions as of February 1, 2008, to retain both posts. New Jersey Senate Sweeney sponsored a 2002 law allowing municipalities and other public entities beginning a construction project to enter into a Project Labor Agreement (PLA), an agreement that establishes the terms and conditions of employment and prohibits the use of strikes and lockouts, which can save money by reducing cost overruns and work stoppages, and contribute to decreased labor unrest. A 2005 law Sweeney sponsored enabled the Delaware River and Bay Authority to establish an ethanol plant in Southern New Jersey, the first of its kind in any of the Mid-Atlantic states, a project intended to create jobs for South Jersey and supply a new market for farmers in the region. In response to heightened security warnings around potential targets such