“We did it,” Jay Webber said as he climbed the podium in a ballroom at the Parsippany Sheraton at about 10:20 p.m.

“I got one question for you, how does it feel to be a winner?”

Webber talked about being outspent 3-1 in the CD-11 Republican primary and last minute “backroom deals gone bad.”

He said his campaign overcame all that.

As happy as Webber was, he quickly began looking ahead.

“Starting tonight, we put our differences aside and work towards a common goal,” he said, noting that what unites the party is greater than what divides us.

He reminded the crowd – as if they didn’t know – that there was also a Democratic primary Tuesday night.

He applauded Mikie Sherrill’s service to the country, but added, “Let’s face it,  Mikie Sherrill’s vision of America is wrong for America and wrong for our district.”

Webber warned that giving the reins of power in Congress to Sherrill and Nancy Pelosi would risk financial disaster.

Criticizing Pelosi is standard Republican fare, although Sherrill has said she would not back Pelosi for House Speaker if Democrats win a majority in the House.

Webber is a passionate fan of Ronald Reagan, but on this night he was quoting JFK about how a “rising tide lifts all boats.”

Frank Druetzler, the mayor of Morris Plains, Webber’s hometown, urged the crowd to celebrate.

But not for long.

He said now is the time to start working hard for the fall election.

“The whole country will be watching,” he said.