A few also appear to have benefited from their relationship with the senator, and at least one of his ties - to South Jersey Democratic power broker George E. Norcross 3d - has aroused the ire of public workers' unions.
While Sweeney says he does talk about Trenton affairs with Norcross and his brother, lawyer Philip Norcross - friends from childhood - the senator's circle of advisers comes largely from outside the public spotlight.
When Sweeney needed to counter Christie's proposal for all public workers to pay 30 percent of their health-care premiums, he turned to Andrew Hendry, executive director of the Senate Democratic Office, who developed a plan to stagger contributions based on salary.
Hendry is the policy brain, having previously worked for the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services and the majority Assembly Democrats. Sweeney was Senate majority leader when he hired Hendry away from Comcast, where he was a lobbyist.
For other day-to-day workings, Sweeney relies on Kevin Hagan, who got his start in state politics in the late 1990s as a driver to Gov. Jim McGreevey when McGreevey was mayor of Woodbridge.
Hagan worked his way up to serve in McGreevey's governor's office and ran the state Democratic Party. He was a lobbyist - earning $316,400 from clients last year - when he returned to government last December at Sweeney's request.
Those former clients lobby on bills that cross Sweeney's desk, including the New Jersey Hospital Association, which advocated for a controversial provision in the health and pension overhaul bill from June favoring in-state hospitals.
Hagan sought support for the bill from lawmakers. According to disclosure forms, it was not an issue he dealt with while he was a lobbyist.
