AMERICAN GREATNESS: Trucker Ed Durr’s NJ Victory Shows Dems Are Right to Be Worried
Republican New Jersey state senate candidate Ed Durr upset his Democratic opponent in Tuesday’s election, despite reportedly spending just $153 on his campaign.
SO WHAT
The New Jersey election results may be an even more ominous sign for the Democrats than the GOP victory in Virginia.
WHAT HAPPENED
Durr’s victory shocked political observers who assumed longtime incumbent Steve Sweeney’s seat in the reliably “blue” Garden State was safe.
The guy you think is an idiot just unseated the Dem senate prez by spending less than $200, including $66 on Dunkin Donuts.
Butt of the joke is your party that didn’t defend its top seat, not Durr, a working man who had courage to challenge one of the most powerful men in NJ. https://t.co/CAOc2L9ZzK
— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) November 4, 2021
On Thursday morning, the Associated Press called the race for Durr, a 58-year-old truck driver.
- Durr spent just $153.31 of his $10,000 in campaign donations to unseat Sweeney, per a New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission report filed last week, local media reported.
- “I didn’t beat him. We beat him,” Durr said during an appearance on “Fox News Primetime” Wednesday evening. “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] went and locked us down and ignored the people’s voice and Sen. Sweeney chose to do nothing for those 18 months,” he added.
Durr has earned raves for the charmingly no-frills, grassroots authenticity of his campaign.
- He had no website, his campaign video was shot on an iPhone by a friend’s nephew and half his campaign spend went toward a Dunkin’ Donuts order for his staffers.
THE VIRGINIA COMPARISON
“In New Jersey, Democrats are underperforming even worse [than in Virginia], by more than 15 points. It’s not just in the governor’s race, which many of you did not follow or cover,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said at a press conference Wednesday, echoing some analysts. “The Senate Democrat president lost to a Republican who spent less than $200 on a campaign.”
suggesting that Trump's '20 gains among Hispanic are potentially sticking. Swings from 2020 are in working class townships, suggesting continued movement for voters there. If there's a silver lining for Ds, its that the wealthier townships in the northwest didn't move as much.
— Sean T at RCP (@SeanTrende) November 3, 2021