A Republican Truck Driver turned politician managed to deliver a crushing blow to the Democrats in New Jersey when he defeated longtime Democrat Stephen Sweeny in the race for state senate.
Sweeny was the New Jersey State Senate President and considered to be the most powerful lawmaker in the state, making his shocking loss to the Republican even more disturbing for the Dems.
Politico said that Durrâs upset win dealt a âsevere blow to Democratsâ as Sweeney was âtheir most effective political machine.â
Durr defeated Sweeney after âspending $2,300, according to an Election Law Enforcement Commission document filed online on Thursday,â the Associated Press reported.
Politico noted that just four years ago, âthe New Jersey Education Association, the stateâs largest teachers union, spent about $5.4 million on a 2017 effort to unseat Sweeney, yet he still won by 18 points.â
Montclair State University political science professor Brigid Harrison said that Durrâs upset victory was, in part, an indicator that even blue states are rejecting Democrat President Joe Biden and his far-left agenda.
Republican and blue collar districts turned out heavily to vote for Republicans during Tuesdayâs election.
âThis was a protest vote against the Biden administration and Murphy,â Harrison said. âSteve was in many ways just how people voiced their dissatisfaction and anger with the larger political structure.â
Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg responded to the upset by saying in an interview, âIt is stunning and shocking and I cannot figure it out.â
Durr, who previously ran for office a couple of years ago, said that he was motivated to run against Sweeney this year after he was denied a concealed carry permit. âI was told flat-out by the local sheriff, âDonât even bother.â And that kind of angered me,â said Durr. âIâve never been arrested and I couldnât get a concealed carry? ⌠That really angered me, so I looked into what can you do to get into politics.â
Politico added, âIt wasnât just Sweeney. Durrâs Assembly running mates, Bethanne McCarthy Patrick and Beth Sawyer, appeared on track to defeat incumbents John Burzichelli and Adam Taliaferro (both D-Gloucester). Democrats will see their majorities shrink in both chambers of the state Legislature. And Murphy, despite claiming victory, appears to have significantly underperformed his own campaignâs expectations. âŚâ
âThat outcome could be indicative of a significant shift in New Jerseyâs electoral landscape. Durr said Murphyâs coronavirus executive orders, vaccine and school mask mandates, unemployment benefits snafus and a general distrust of South Jerseyâs Democratic machine all contributed to his strong performance.â
New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli came within just a couple of points of knocking off the stateâs incumbent Democrat governor, Phil Murphy, in a state that Biden won by nearly 16 points just last year.
In Virgnia, the Democrats were hit with more embarrassing losses are a further reflection of Bidenâs disastrous presidency. On Tuesday night the stateâs governorship, attorney general, and lieutenant governorship all flipped from Democrat to Republican. Republicans also ended Democratsâ control of the House of Delegates in the state, winning at a minimum enough seats for a tie, with other reports projecting that Republicans had up to a 2-seat majority.
Author: Tim Laurence

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