OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Election Day 2021 was a nightmare for Democrats in Virginia, New Jersey and nationwide and it is continuing to get worse.
In New Jersey, when the incumbent Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy barely survived in a race he was predicted to win in a landslide, the long-reigning Democrat Senate president has been defeated by a truck driver who has never been in politics before and who spent around $153 on his campaign, The Washington Free Beacon reported.
This is monumental in the blue state and changes the entire landscape of NJ politics as the race has been called by CBS 2.
Edward Durr, who says he jumped into the race “not seeking power or fame, only give the people better representation,” employed no staff for his long-shot campaign, instead relying on family, friends, and grassroots supporters to knock on doors in South Jersey’s Third Legislative District. His opponent, Steve Sweeney, is the longest-serving Senate leader in New Jersey history.
“I have lived here all my life. I have been a commercial truck driver for last 25 years. I consider myself to be ‘blue collar,'” Durr’s campaign said on its website. “I believe in God. I am hard working, trusting, and very loyal. I believe in fiscal responsibility, transparency, and lower taxes. I also support the Second Amendment. I am not a polish politician who is looking for a career; instead, I would like to see government return to the hands of the people.”
We are talking about a career politician, and the most powerful Democrat in the state behind the governor, possibly being defeated by an amateur who spent less on his campaign than many families spend for a night on the town.
A campaign ad on Facebook from Durr in September focused on how Democrats handled the coronavirus pandemic in the state and the governor’s decision to house infected, elderly patients in nursing homes, high crime in the state’s cities and the high taxes in the state that Democrats seemingly want to continue increasing.
“The Senate president has spent 20 years in Trenton. Higher taxes, increasing debt, and a rising cost of living. We deserve better,” he said in the video before he got onto his motorcycle and drove past a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag.
Of the $153 Durr spent on his campaign, around half was spent on Dunkin’ Donuts.
Durr, who works as a truck driver for Raymour & Flanagan, talked to “Fox News Primetime” on Wednesday about his longshot campaign’s success.
“I didn’t beat him. We beat him,” he said. “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 Governor Murphy [who] went and locked us down and ignored the people’s voice and senator Sweeney chose to do nothing for those 18 months.”
He said to host Rachel Campos-Duffy that his victory shows “you cannot tell people they can’t have a job. You can’t tell people they can’t go to church.”
When asked what he plans to do on his first day as a state senator he said, “I really don’t know.”
But what he does know is that it was the pandemic lockdowns and its effects on business that got him into the campaign.
“That’s the key factor. I don’t know what I don’t know, but I will learn what I need to know,” he said, “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.”
