What a year it has been in New Jersey -- and national -- politics! As 2016 becomes "auld lang syne," we look forward to a new year that will include the inauguration of a new president, the swearing in of a new member of New Jersey's congressional delegation and the election of a new governor. Let's look back and assess who came out on top this year, and who's really ready to put '16 to rest.

Winners:

Josh Gottheimer

1. Congressman-elect Josh Gottheimer. In a year in which Democrats got trounced nationally, Gottheimer managed to pull off an upset in the state's northern fifth congressional district, toppling Republican Scott Garrett. Gottheimer will face an uphill battle as a new congressmember in the minority party in a district that leans Republican, but his hands-on, grassroots style will work to his advantage.

Bob Menendez

2. U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez. While the senator is too much of a gentleman to admit it, the end of the Obama era will be a welcome relief, as Menendez faced an indictment spearheaded by Obama Attorney General Eric Holder. Many view the indictment as a punitive measure designed to demote the vocal Menendez in the Senate Foreign Relations committee (it worked). While Menendez would have preferred a Clinton White House, the fact that the president-elect shares many of his foreign policy positions, including on Cuba, will work to Menendez's advantage.

Kim Guadagno

3. Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. Trying to distance herself from Gov. Chris Christie's legacy, the talented Guadagno stumbled out of the gate, clumsily adopting policy positions that put her at odds with the business community she had been courting for years. But the likely Republican nominee has the support of many party chairs, and the momentum to secure the Republican gubernatorial nomination, if she wants it.

Phil Murphy

4. Phil Murphy. The former Goldman Sachs executive must be included because he is the likely Democratic party nominee, and likely our next governor. His mettle is yet to be tested, but the millions he's willing to invest in his own candidacy succeeded in clearing the field of the most serious competitors.

Lou Stellato,and John Currie

5. John Currie, Lou Stellato, LeRoy Jones

.The chairs of the State Democratic Committee, the Bergen Democrats, and the Essex Democrats respectively, threw their support behind Phil Murphy, and succeeded in blocking Senate President Stephen Sweeney from becoming the Democratic nominee for governor.

Harvey Kesselman

6. Harvey Kesselman. Kesselman is the newly-minted president of Stockton University, who came to that post in a storybook version of "local boy makes good." Kesselman was part of Stockton's first graduating class, and rose through the college's ranks earning goodwill and respect all the while. In a near singular bright spot in South Jersey, Kesselman is poised to transform both the face and the economy of Atlantic City with a new oceanfront campus that could serve as a sustainable economic engine to the area.

New Jersey traffic jam.

7. Commuters. Despite last-ditch, ill-informed efforts to sideline the ballot question dedicating gas tax revenue to the Transportation Trust Fund, the measure passed, ensuring that the state's transportation infrastructure will have a dedicated revenue source.

Losers:

Chris Christie

1. Gov. Chris Christie. The once likely-Republican presidential nominee saw his prospects snuffed out in a humiliating fashion. Then there was Bridgegate, and his failed legacy as governor is reflected in his 18 percent approval rating. He threw his underlings under the bus during the Bridgegate trial only to find himself with tire tracks across his back when President-elect Donald Trump denied him a cabinet appointment. Karma.

Scott Garrett

2. Scott Garrett. The staunch conservative was a perennial target for Democrats, but homophobic comments served to spook many of the financial services companies that had been bankrolling his political career. It was an error that opened the window just enough for the well-qualified Josh Gottheimer to jimmy it open.

Renderings of the proposed Liberty Rising resort spa and casino

3. North Jersey casino supporters. Early on, most of us thought this would be a slam dunk, but the opposing coalition was no match for the two developers who sought new casino licenses at the Meadowlands and in Jersey City. While this battle isn't finished, the failure of the ballot measure marks an important loss for the building trades.

David Wildstein

4. David Wildstein. The government's star witness in the Bridgegate trial was reportedly a person of talent and skill. But after hearing defense attorney Michael Baldassare describe how people who know Wildstein characterize him as "a horrible person," "a miserable prick," and "an asshole," we can't help but think, for most people, the status of "winners" and "losers," is a temporary one. Fortunes change. But with Wildstein, there seems to a permanence rooted in Wildstein's pettiness, insecurity and vindictiveness.

Paul DiGaetano

5. Paul DiGaetano. The freshly elected Bergen County Republican chair suffered incredible losses when his entire ticket, including the incumbent Garrett, lost in a year in which Republicans triumphed.

Atlantic City

6. Atlantic City. Despite major efforts by Mayor Don Guardian, Christie was rooting for Atlantic City's failure so that the state could take it over, which it did.

George Norcross

7. George Norcross. The South Jersey party boss was squeezed out of the 2017 gubernatorial nomination process when Murphy succeeded in building a north Jersey coalition. Like Jon Corzine, Murphy needs nothing from Norcross.

8. New Jersey. We are stuck in a bad marriage with a governor who has been trying to leave us for four years. Our state legislature stands idly by, refusing to consider measures of impeachment, even though 71 percent of New Jerseyans agree that Christie should have been put on trial for his role in Bridgegate. Instead, the legislature made a backroom deal with governor to allow him to profit off a book he'll write during his last year in office. God bless us everyone.

Brigid Callahan Harrison, a regular contributor to The Star-Ledger, is professor of political science and law at Montclair State University. A frequent commentator on state and national politics, she is the author of five books on American politics. Like her on Facebook. Follow her on Twitter @BriCalHar.

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