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Glenn Youngkin’s win successful the Virginia governor’s contention was the astir consequential effect successful Tuesday’s election. But it wasn’t the biggest upset.
Edward Durr, successful an representation from a YouTube video touting his candidacy.That rubric goes to Edward Durr, a little-known — and adjacent little financed — Republican who appears to person unseated Stephen Sweeney, the authorities Senate bulk person and 1 of the astir almighty Democrats successful New Jersey.
The number arsenic of precocious Thursday greeting showed Durr holding a 2,298-vote lead, with 51.8% of the ballot to Sweeney’s 48.1%.
Sweeney was considered a shoo-in for the South Jersey spot helium has held since 2004. He is the longest-tenured authorities Senate person successful New Jersey past and was wide expected to tally for politician successful 2025, erstwhile existent Gov. Phil Murphy hits his word limit. (Murphy narrowly won a 2nd word implicit Republican Jack Ciattarelli connected Tuesday.)
Durr, connected the different hand, had lone a losing contention for authorities Assembly successful 2019 nether his belt. He spent 2 decades arsenic a commercialized motortruck operator and says helium decided to tally against Sweeney lone erstwhile helium was denied a concealed-carry licence for a gun.
“I’m a numbers feline and I’ve looked astatine the numbers implicit the years,” Durr said successful August. “We person a territory that is 150,000 voters. Senator Sweeney has ne'er breached 32,000 votes … and truthful I felt if helium can’t adjacent get fractional the district, that means there’s numbers retired determination to beryllium taken, and you conscionable person to get radical to travel retired and vote. I judge if they travel retired and vote, we could win.”
According to run records filed Thursday, Durr spent $2,300 connected his campaign. Earlier reports had shown helium had spent conscionable $153.31: $66.64 astatine Dunkin and $86.67 for flyers and concern cards.
Given Sweeney’s almighty station and his resources, adjacent Durr admitted to NJ.com that helium didn’t expect to win.
“I joked with radical and I said, ‘I’m going to daze the world, I’m going to bushed this man,’” helium said Wednesday. “I was saying it, but truly benignant of joking. Because what accidental did a idiosyncratic similar maine truly basal against this man? He’s virtually the second-most almighty idiosyncratic successful the authorities of New Jersey.”
So, however did Durr bash it? Well, arsenic evidenced by Murphy’s adjacent call, determination was a wide Republican upwind blowing successful the authorities (and successful the country). And it’s imaginable that Sweeney bore immoderate lingering scars from his 2017 contention erstwhile the New Jersey Education Association went each retired to oust him, spending totaled much than $20 cardinal successful the race.
“I don’t truly deliberation it was Steve Sweeney,” said incoming Republican Senate Leader Steve Oroho. “I deliberation it had to bash with the connection coming from radical who were conscionable annoyed astatine each the enforcement orders and each the mandates and being sick and bushed of being told what they tin and can’t do.”
Montclair State University governmental subject prof Brigid Harrison agreed: “This was a protestation ballot against the Biden medication and Murphy. Steve was successful galore ways conscionable however radical voiced their dissatisfaction and choler with the larger governmental structure.”
Sweeney said successful a connection Thursday helium was waiting for much votes to travel successful earlier acknowledging the loss.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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