Truck driver who beat powerful Democrat leaves Tucker Carlson in stitches over what he told defeated opponent



Edward Durr, the truck driver who dethroned one of New Jersey's most powerful Democratic politicians, left Fox News host Tucker Carlson in stitches Thursday after revealing what he told his political opponent.

What is the background?

New Jersey state State President Steve Sweeney (D) initially refused to concede to Durr after the Associated Press declared Durr the winner of their election contest.

But on Wednesday, six days after the AP called the race, Sweeney, the second most-powerful politician in New Jersey behind the governor, finally conceded defeat to Durr. Sweeney attributed his loss to "a red wave," and vowed to continue working in politics.

What are the details?

During an interview with Carlson, Durr revealed what Sweeney told him during a congratulatory call.

"Have you talked to Sweeney since you dethroned him? I mean, how baffled is he?" Carlson asked.

"Yes, yes, we had a phone conversation yesterday after he had given his press conference to the media and he congratulated me and just wished me luck to do well for South Jersey," Durr explained.

Carlson then asked, "So he was a gentleman about it?"

After confirming Sweeney had been a "gentleman," Durr told Carlson that he offered to help Sweeney with anything he needs because he is now Sweeney's representative. The remark caused Carlson to laugh out loud.

"And like I told him, I says (sic), you know, if he ever needed anything just give me a call you know, because I'm his representative now," Durr said.

"That's so great," Carlson responded after belly-laughing.

Inflation crisis is starting to feel intentional: Durr youtu.be

Anything else?

Sweeney reportedly claimed last week that he would not concede to Durr because officials had discovered 12,000 ballots after the election. Sweeney's campaign never said who reported the existence of the allegedly missing ballots or why they were "recently found" days after the election.

However, during his concession speech on Wednesday, Sweeney affirmed the fairness of the election.

"All votes have been fairly counted, and I, of course, accept the results," Sweeney said.

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A tight race in New Jersey is not great for Dems...

New Jersey Democrat who refuses to concede to truck driver claims 12,000 ballots 'recently found'



New Jersey Senate president Steve Sweeney (D) is refusing to concede after claiming 12,000 ballots were "recently found."

Sweeney is the high-profile New Jersey who lost re-election to Republican truck driver Edward Durr. When the Associated Press declared Durr the winner, he held a lead of nearly 4% over Sweeney.

What are the details?

Sweeney, however, is refusing to concede. Shockingly, Sweeney supported his decision by claiming officials had recently discovered 12,000 ballots.

"The results from Tuesday's election continue to come in, for instance there were 12,000 ballots recently found in one county," Sweeney told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "While I am currently trailing in the race, we want to make sure every vote is counted. Our voters deserve that, and we will wait for the final results."

The claim is not only eye-popping because of the nature of the discovery (why are any ballots being "recently found"?), but the claim suggests that up to one-fifth of the ballots in the race were somehow lost. When the AP called the race, Durr had 32,742 votes while Sweeney had 30,444 with 100% of precincts reporting.

Sweeney did not say in which county the ballots were allegedly discovered. New Jersey election officials have not corroborated Sweeney's claims.

What did Durr say?

Sweeney's refusal to concede is not stopping Durr from celebrating. The truck driver, who spent less than $10,000 on his campaign, said he is ready to serve his constituents.

"I'm absolutely nobody. I'm just a simple guy. It was the people, it was a repudiation of the policies that have been forced down their throats," Sweeney said of his victory, the Inquirer reported.

"It's people told they can't have a job. They can't go to church. They can't go to school. You can't go shopping. They can't go and eat dinner," he continued. "You cannot continue to tell people they cannot do things when we live in the freest country in the world. And you think you're just gonna sit on your hands and do nothing. Gov. Murphy kept telling you, 'no, no, no.' And Sen. Sweeney sat there and all right, whatever."

"So the people said, 'No, you're not doing your job,'" Durr added. "'Take a seat, we'll find somebody else [to] do the job.'"

Republican truck driver Edward Durr defeats powerful Democratic NJ state Senate president; historic victory called 'stunning and shocking'



Edward Durr — an unheralded 58-year-old Republican who drives a truck for a furniture store and has never held political office — defeated longtime Democratic New Jersey state Senate President Steve Sweeney in a massive election upset, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @edwarddurr1

What are the details?

Sweeney has helmed the state Senate for a dozen years and is the second most powerful official in New Jersey government, Politico said.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

"It is stunning and shocking and I cannot figure it out," Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg said in an interview, the AP said.

It's also been widely reported that Durr spent only $153 on his campaign in the 3rd legislative district — even by the AP, which cited Election Law Enforcement Commission documents concerning the $153.31 figure in its Durr victory story. But Durr told Brietbart the $153 was "the amount I spent prior to the primary" — and that he spent between $8,000 and $9,000 total, mostly on literature, yard signs, and campaign video:

@nj1015 @1210WPHT @BillSpadea @MattRooneyNJ @GlouCoGOPpic.twitter.com/ESiikNLwJ9

— Edward Durr (@edwarddurr1) 1632242155

"I kept telling myself and telling people I was going to do it, but in the back of my mind I was like, 'You know, how am I going to beat the Senate president?'" the grandfather of six told Politico.

How did it happen?

Prior to Durr's victory, NJ.com said should he prevail it would prove "one of the most unthinkable upsets in New Jersey political history."

And here we are. But the question is, "How did we get here?"

Politico said for this election there was a high turnout in districts with large blue-collar populations, and they pulled the levers for Republicans like mad.

"I've said this before: I'm as blue-collar as you're ever going to find," Durr added to WTXF-TV.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

He also pointed out to Politico the problems he's seen with the current regime.

"You have the debacle of unemployment. The masking of the kids in school. You have Senator Sweeney trying to take away people's medical freedom rights," Durr added to Politico. "I think the perfect storm was that he stepped into a pile of you-know-what and couldn't get out of it because he didn't know which way to turn. I just tapped into the right focus."

He also told the outlet he views himself as a "constitutional conservative" who favors cutting taxes (income, corporate, and other state taxes) to help "businesses to grow" and reducing property taxes. Durr also wants abortion stopped and favors a law that would outlaw it if a fetal heartbeat is detected, Politico added.

Plus, he's a big Second Amendment backer who said in a recent YouTube interview that running into roadblocks getting a concealed carry permit spurred him to run for office, the outlet reported.

More from the AP:

It's unclear who will become the next Senate president. If Democrats maintain control of the chamber, as incomplete results show they could do, then Democratic senators will meet to choose their next leader.

The 3rd Legislative District covers parts of Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties.

Coming into Election Day, Democrats had controlled the state Assembly with 52 seats to Republicans' 28. In the state Senate, Democrats had 25 seats to the Republicans' 15.

New Jersey's Legislature consists of 40 districts, which each send one senator and two Assembly members to Trenton. Assembly members serve two-year terms, while senators serve four-year terms except for the first election after the census, which comes this year, when they serve two-year terms.

The following news report aired prior to the AP calling Durr's victory Thursday:

Edward Durr, GOP truck driver, upsets longtime New Jersey Democrat Steve Sweeneyyoutu.be

Republican truck driver for furniture store who reportedly spent only $153 on his campaign is poised to unseat powerful Democratic NJ Senate president



One hundred and fifty-three dollars.

Reportedly that's all truck driver Edward Durr spent on his New Jersey state Senate campaign — $66.64 to buy food and drinks for staff and $86.67 for paper flyers and business cards, according to WCAU-TV.

Yet Durr — a 58-year-old Republican who drives for furniture store Raymour & Flanigan and has never held political office — on Wednesday led powerful Democratic state Senate President Steve Sweeney by about 2,000 votes, Politico reported.

The outlet noted that Sweeney has helmed the state Senate for a dozen years and is the second most powerful official in New Jersey government.

"I have no idea what's going on. I am really trying to grasp all of this," an overwhelmed Durr told WTXF-TV early Wednesday morning outside his south Jersey home. "I knew it would be a major upset."

In his first interview after what may turn out to be the biggest upset ever in South Jersey political history, \u2066@GOP\u2069 NJ State Senate candidate Ed Burr says he was told he beat \u2066@NJSenatePres\u2069 Steve Sweeney at 2am then woke up to \u201cwell maybe not\u201d \u2066@FOX29philly\u2069pic.twitter.com/6U8UUmIhQB

— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) 1635939953

Durr is facing off against Sweeney in the 3rd Legislative District, which includes parts of Gloucester, Cumberland, and Salem counties, Politico said, adding that Durr lost a 2019 bid for the Assembly.

"I kept telling myself and telling people I was going to do it, but in the back of my mind I was like, 'You know, how am I going to beat the Senate president?'" he told the outlet.

But Durr noted to Politico that he started thinking he could have a chance as he sat with his family in his living room Tuesday night.

"My daughter was sitting next to me," he recounted to the outlet Wednesday morning. "She laughed at me and said, 'Dad, you've got tears running down my face.'"

Durr is a lifelong resident of the Garden State with three children and six grandchildren, and NJ.com said there was "little fanfare" when he announced his candidacy in early 2021.

More from NJ.com:

He compared his quest in challenging Sweeney to restoring a rusted, broken down 1964 Mustang that's sitting on bald tires in his front yard. Like the car, New Jersey had good bones and a strong foundation. "What it requires now is someone to show it a little TLC," Durr said.

He built his bare-bones campaign at the grassroots level, walking door-to-door throughout the district, wearing jeans and tennis shoes and introducing himself to voters. In ads, Durr is hopping down from his commercial-grade truck or revving the engine on his motorcycle, appearing like the quintessential suburban dad -- and in stark contrast to Sweeney, often besuited and photographed over lecterns in the state capital.

Perhaps the biggest potential shocker still in the making: \n\nNJ Senate President Steve Sweeney is trailing in a race where his opponent spent $153https://newjerseyglobe.com/legislature/sweeney-trailing-in-re-election-bid-polistina-stanfied-win-pappas-leads-zwicker/\u00a0\u2026

— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) 1635950461

Politico said for this election there has been a high turnout in districts with large blue-collar populations, and they've been pulling the levers for Republicans like mad.

"I've said this before: I'm as blue-collar as you're ever going to find," Durr added to WTXF.

He also pointed out to Politico the problems he's seen with the current regime.

"You have the debacle of unemployment. The masking of the kids in school. You have Senator Sweeney trying to take away people's medical freedom rights," Durr added to Politico. "I think the perfect storm was that he stepped into a pile of you-know-what and couldn't get out of it because he didn't know which way to turn. I just tapped into the right focus."

He also told the outlet that he views himself as a "constitutional conservative" who's in favor of cutting taxes (income, corporate, and other state taxes) to help "businesses to grow" and reducing property taxes. Durr also wants abortion stopped and favors a law that would outlaw it if a fetal heartbeat is detected, Politico added.

Plus, he's a big Second Amendment backer who said in a recent YouTube interview that running into roadblocks getting a concealed carry permit spurred him to run for office, the outlet reported.

Anything else?

According to NJ.com, the state's Senate Democrats were scheduled to pick new caucus leadership on Thursday, but Sweeney postponed the meeting.

"Due to the closeness of several State Senate elections, the Leadership Caucus scheduled for tomorrow will be delayed," Sweeney said, according to the outlet. "The Caucus will be rescheduled once the result of every Senate election is determined."

Should Durr prevail, NJ.com said it would prove "one of the most unthinkable upsets in New Jersey political history."

Here's a campaign clip from Durr:

@nj1015 @1210WPHT @BillSpadea @MattRooneyNJ @GlouCoGOPpic.twitter.com/ESiikNLwJ9

— Edward Durr (@edwarddurr1) 1632242155