Truck Driver Beats Out NJ Senate President After Spending Only $153 On His Campaign

  A truck driver who spent only $153 on his primary campaign has just won southern New Jersey’s state Senate race over longtime State Senate...

 A truck driver who spent only $153 on his primary campaign has just won southern New Jersey’s state Senate race over longtime State Senate President Steve Sweeney.

This 58-year-old truck driver, Edward Durr, has beaten out the longest-serving Senate president in the state’s history. Having lived in New Jersey his whole life, Durr started his campaign by introducing himself door-to-door and, as a self-proclaimed “simple man,” he made a campaign video primarily by himself.

When referencing his opponent, Durr said, “He did not fight for the people, and that had to end. I’m a person who believes in the right to the people. I’m a firm constitutionalist believer, and I believe in people’s rights. When I saw how people were being mistreated or ignored, that angered me to say: ‘I’m going to make my voice heard.’”

After watching the state’s leaders respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and being disappointed in their actions, he decided to take a shot at running for office. In his campaign video, Durr focuses his criticisms on Sweeney’s passive response to the state Governor, Phil Murphy, forcing COVID patients into nursing homes which resulted in over 8,000 senior deaths.

His campaign video also appeals to all New Jersey families who lost their jobs during the pandemic, pointing out that 1/3 of the state’s small businesses were forced to close down. He also highlights the rate at which residents are leaving the state. The video ends with Durr declaring that it’s time for a change and, as he gets on his motorcycle, tells his viewers, “Let’s end single-party rule.”

“I joked with people, and I said, ‘I’m going to shock the world, I’m going to beat this man,’” Durr said in a statement the day before securing the race, “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.”