Last week's midterm elections changed the partisan balance of New Jersey's 12-member congressional delegation, at least for the next two years, giving Democrats nearly all of those seats amid the blue wave that brought them control of the House of Representatives.

With that bitterly fought — and wildly expensive — contest over, here's a look at how the 2018 midterms could shape the career paths of some of New Jersey's notable political figures.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker

The junior senator is among the top tier of Democratic hopefuls for 2020 who spent much of the fall building IOUs by stumping for candidates around the country. Booker will face fundraising and competitive pressure to formally declare his presidential intentions sometime next year. Meanwhile, Booker, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, could face an uncomfortable task of grilling his friend and political ally, former Gov. Chris Christie, if Trump nominates Christie for attorney general. Booker and Christie worked closely when Booker was Newark mayor and they hammed it up together in a memorable spoof video.

Assembly Republican leader Jon Bramnick

The veteran Westfield moderate who moonlights as a stand-up comic believes it's time for the desperate New Jersey GOP to reopen its Big Tent and reject the divisive rhetoric of Donald Trump. Bramnick will have a chance to apply his prescription when he will oversee the Assembly Republican campaign next year as all 80 seats in the Assembly are on the ballot.

Seth Grossman

Grossman, a Somers Point attorney, was expected to get crushed in Tuesday's midterm race in the 2nd Congressional District. He was an unabashed pro-Trump Republican who declared that "diversity is a bunch of crap" and posted articles from a well-known white nationalist website. Yet he lost by only 6 points to the Democratic-machine candidate Jeff Van Drew of Cape May County. Grossman, who was disowned by the state Republican Party, looms as a long-term thorn in the party's side. It's a good bet he'll seek a rematch in 2020.

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Mikie Sherrill

The charismatic former federal prosecutor and U.S. Navy helicopter pilot from Montclair was perhaps the most prominent beneficiary of the anti-Trump wave. But Sherrill, victor in the 11th District congressional race, also welded grass-roots support with establishment Democratic Party leaders, like Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo, who praised Sherrill as a hometown hero last Wednesday. That kind of political dexterity already has some talking her up as a future candidate for governor.

Frank Pallone

The veteran 6th Congressional District Democrat from Long Branch will likely assume chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee, one of the most powerful posts in the House. The committee puts its stamp on nearly two-thirds of all legislation that passes through the House.

Bob Hugin

The former Celgene Corp. executive spent $36 million of his own money in a failed attempt to oust Democratic incumbent Sen. Robert Menendez last week. Some argue that Hugin is now the front-runner for the 2021 Republican nomination for governor despite losing by 11 points. The race earned him valuable name recognition with voters. Yet others insist that that Hugin's losing margin was too great, and that the door is wide open for other possible rivals, including former Assemblyman Jack M. Ciattarelli of Somerset County and Kim Guadagno, who lost to Phil Murphy in last year's governor's race.

Saily Avelenda

The West Caldwell activist burst onto the political scene earlier this year after outgoing Republican Rodney Frelinghuysen of the 11th Congressional District complained to her boss about her political activities at the bottom of a fundraising letter. Her emergence as a vocal leader of New Jersey 11th For Change galvanized the grass-roots fury that fueled Sherrill's 13-point drubbing of Jay Webber. Grass-roots groups, spurred by anti-Trump anger, flexed their muscle in other suburban battleground races. The question will be whether they can sustain that momentum in 2020.

Joshua Welle

The Rumson Democrat's aggressive challenge against veteran incumbent Republican Chris Smith in the 4th Congressional District came up short. Still, Welle's 43 percent was the second-highest of Smith's challengers since 1982, when former Trenton-area lawmaker Joe Merlino grabbed 47 percent. Welle is also well-positioned for a rematch.