TRENTON, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — The upset in South Jersey's 8th District is now official. Democrat Andrea Katz has increased her lead over incumbent Republican Brandon Umba to 220 votes.
The Associated Press had initially declared Umba a winner in the General Assembly race covering portions of Burlington and Atlantic counties, but withdrew its call after Katz moved into a narrow lead.
Mail-in ballots and provisional ballots have pushed Katz past the finish line.
Katz’s win further expands the Democratic Party's hold on the Legislature in the final two years of Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy's second term.
Democrats have now expanded their control of the Assembly from 46 seats to 52 seats in the 80-member assembly, making her the sixth Democrat to have flipped a seat this election from the GOP.
New Jersey elected all 80 members of its Assembly and all 40 state senators this year. Voters in the state elect a senator and two Assembly members from each of the state's 40 legislative districts.
The 8th District will end up sending one Democrat and one Republican to the Legislature because incumbent Republican Assemblyman Michael Torrissi remains the winner of the Assembly seat there.
Umba’s other Republican running mate, state Senate candidate Latham Tiver, was also victorious. In the Senate, Democrats and Republicans each picked up a new seat, leaving overall control at 25-15 in Democrats' favor.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.