The Democrats' hottest young star, Cory Booker, took a broader leap into the national spotlight Wednesday as he grabbed victory in the New Jersey senate special election.

Booker took 56% of the vote to Republican Steve Lonegan's 43% as the duo squared off to fill the seat vacated by Senator Frank Lautenberg's death in June.

Newark Mayor Booker affirms the Democrats' control of the Senate upper chamber. When he takes his seat, replacing Republican appointee Jeff Chiesa, the Democrats will have a 55-45 majority.

Booker is widely seen as one of the new faces of American politics. Elected as Newark's mayor in 2006, he made a name for himself as a "voice of the people" on social media, regularly interacting with the city's residents and others on Twitter. His exploits in saving a neighbor from her burning home and pounding the streets to help afflicted citizens in the Superstorm Sandy aftermath raised his stock.

Senator-elect Booker, 44, will hold his seat for the last 15 months of Lautenberg's term. He will need to run for re-election next November to have a six-year term of his own.