Steve Sweeney, who as Senate president was long considered the second most powerful man in New Jersey, will seek the Democratic nomination for governor in the 2025 race after being ousted by Republican Edward Durr in a shocking election that made national headlines.

The news, broken by the New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein, came during a visit by Sweeney to the New Jersey State Association of Pipe Trades convention in Atlantic City, in which the outgoing Senate president told delegates from the plumbers union that he’ll need their support when he runs for governor in 2025.

Sweeney has been in the New Jersey Senate for 20 years and served as Senate president for the last 12 years, but will be leaving office in exactly four weeks, with his Senate seat being taken over by Edward Durr, a Republican truck driver, who managed to knock off the powerful incumbent despite running a poorly funded campaign.

Sweeney’s announcement gives voters a relatively clear look ahead to the next election for governor, in which Sweeney is the favorite to win the Democratic nomination, and will likely face Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who has already said that he intends to seek the governor’s office after losing narrowly to incumbent Phil Murphy this November.