Polls Open in Special New Jersey Senate Election

Democratic Newark Mayor Cory Booker the favorite

TRENTON, N.J. –  In a race for U.S. Senate that that touched upon a candidate's tweets with a stripper and a political strategist's profanity-laced rant, perhaps it's only fitting that the outcome will be decided on a Wednesday in October.

The two-month campaign in New Jersey between Democrat Cory Booker and Republican Steve Lonegan ends amid a lingering federal government shutdown, underscoring the different approaches each would take as a senator.

Booker, Newark's high-profile mayor, circulated a petition to end the shutdown and accused Congress of failing voters by not finding a way to work together.