Edward Durr.
In one of the more remarkable upsets of Tuesday’s elections, a New Jersey truck driver who spent less than $200 on his campaign unseated a longtime state Senate president.
The Associated Presscalled the raceon Thursday.
Speaking to NJ.com, Durr said hewatched the results with his grandchildrenwhile eating pizza in his living room.
“We kept saying: ‘What if? What if? What if?’ " Durr, who had reportedly run
for a city council seat and a General Assembly seat before this, told the outlet. “It got a little more real each hour.”
Sweeney, 62, is the longest-serving Senate president in New Jersey history and, asPoliticonotes, “thesecond most powerful officialin New Jersey government,” with a long history of shaping major legislation on raising the minimum wage, paid leave and others.
He was alsoreportedlymulling a future run for governor — a campaign that would have been launched once he served a seventh term in the state Senate.
“It is stunning and shocking and I cannot figure it out,” the state Senate Majority Leader told the AP.
Sweeney has not publicly commented.
A lifelong New Jersey resident, the 62-year-old Durr describes himself as “Christian, Blue Collar, Father of 3, Grandfather to 6” on hisTwitter bio. His campaign website says he has worked as a truck driver for 25 years and entered the race because he wanted to see “government return to the hands of the people.”
“I didn’t beat him [Sweeney]. We beat him,” Durr said on Fox. “The state of New Jersey, the people of New Jersey beat him. They listened to what I had to say and I listened to what they had to say, and it’s a repudiation of Gov. Murphy [who] locked us down and ignored the people’s voice and senator Sweeney chose to do nothing for those 18 months.”
A fan of former PresidentDonald Trump, Durr admitted he lacks experience in policy-making — but told Fox News he plans to learn as he goes.
“That’s the key factor. I don’t know what I don’t know, but I will learn what I need to know,” he told Fox. “And I’m going to guarantee one thing. I will be the voice and people will hear me because if there is one thing people will learn about me, I got a big mouth and I don’t shut up when I want to be heard. I’m going to be heard.”
Perhaps the most surprising thing about Durr’s campaign success, however, was his bare-bones campaign.
Durr says hespent just $153— and at least half of that, he estimates,was spent on Dunkin' Donuts.
Durrsaid in an August interviewhe was inspired to run for the state Senate seat in 2021 after being denied a concealed carry permit.
Speaking to NJ.com this week, Durr said he was as surprised as anyone with the apparent results.
“I joked with people and I said, ‘I’m going to shock the world, I’m going to beat this man,’ " he said. “I was saying it, but really kind of joking. Because what chance did a person like me really stand against this man? He’s literally the second-most powerful person in the state of New Jersey.”
source: people.com
