Jersey City residents elected James Solomon mayor on Dec. 2, ending former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey’s hopes to make a political comeback in the race.

AP called the race at 8:40 p.m. with Solomon, a member of Jersey City’s City Council since 2017, collecting just under 68 percent of the vote to McGreevey’s 32 percent.

Neither received more than 50 percent of the vote during the Nov. 4 election, sending the race to a runoff. Both candidates are Democrats, but the mayoral race is nonpartisan.

After the race went to a runoff, Solomon received endorsements from three other candidates, as well as U.S. Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka.

The race in the New Jersey town of high rises lying along the banks of the Hudson River across from Manhattan, which is home to just over 300,000 people, mostly drew attention due to McGreevey’s entry into the race.

It represents the first time that the former governor ran for a public office since resigning the New Jersey governorship in 2004 amid allegations of sexual harassment and his admission of an extramarital affair.

Solomon said McGreevey represented the “politics of the past,” saying of McGreevey’s executive experience, “It’s experience we don’t want.”

Speaking to his supporters at a nearby gathering, McGreevey conceded the race, congratulating Solomon on his victory.

“There’s nothing I would change in this campaign,” McGreevey said. “Thank you for your trust. Thank you for your welcome. And thank you for your hospitality.”

Like New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani just across the Hudson River, Solomon made affordability and combating rising prices a key pillar of his mayoral campaign.

Jersey City’s current mayor, Steven Fulop, declined to seek a fourth term for the office after making an unsuccessful bid for the governorship, losing the Democratic nomination to New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill.

Alongside working on affordability, Solomon has vowed to invest in public safety—including hiring 100 new police officers—and work to improve schools, as well as taking on developers and other special interests in the areas.

Solomon grew up in nearby Millburn and attended Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He previously worked as an aide to former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. He moved to Jersey City in 2013, and is married with three daughters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.