His name is Edward Durr. By day, he’s a truck driver. But now, he’s also one of New Jersey’s newly elected state senators.
And in his own way, he just reenacted one of the greatest stories ever told: the story of David and Goliath.
Durr puts food on the table by driving a truck for the furniture store Raymour & Flanigan. He has three kids and six grandchildren. NJ.com reports that Durr rides a Harley, walks his three dogs daily and loves the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I’m just a simple man,” Durr said in a recent interview, “literally just like the song.”
He didn’t like the way New Jersey politics was heading.
So, he decided to get involved.
Durr declared his candidacy for the New Jersey Senate earlier this year, throwing his hat in the ring in South Jersey’s 3rd Legislative District – where Democrat Senate President Steve Sweeney had been the incumbent for nearly two decades.
Sweeney is “one of the most powerful people in New Jersey” according to Politico.
But Durr doesn’t have many (or any) benefactors or lobbyists on his side. So, he ran his campaign the old-fashioned way.
“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.”
In an interview, Durr said he would joke with his friends that he was going to win – but he didn’t really mean it.
“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,” Durr said.
But the real kicker? He spent just $153.31 on his primary campaign – $66.64 at Dunkin Donuts and $86.67 on campaign materials.
Due to Durr’s shoestring budget, NJ.com reports that “a link to his campaign website brings up error codes.”
He only spent between $5,000 and $10,000 on the general election.
“By contrast, the New Jersey Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, spent about $5.4 million on a 2017 effort to unseat Sweeney.”
Sweeney still won that race by 18 points.
Clearly, Durr wasn’t supposed to win this year.
But he did.
The latest results have Durr garnering 52% of the vote compared to Sweeney’s 48%.
In an interview on Fox News the day after Election Day, Durr was asked, “What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get to the Capitol in Trenton?”
“Uh, I really don’t know,” Durr replied with a grin. “That’s the key factor. I don’t know what I don’t know so I will learn what I need to know.”
“I’m going to guarantee you one thing … people will hear me. Because if there’s one thing people will learn about me, I got a big mouth and I don’t shut up. When I want to be heard, I’m going to be heard … I will be that voice for the people.”
Durr: I really don’t know. That’s the key factor. I don’t know what I don’t know so I will learn what I need to know pic.twitter.com/xW5grPDWL2
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 4, 2021
In a blog post on his campaign website, Durr also expressed his opinion on abortion.
“I personally believe that any abortion is wrong and should be stopped,” he wrote. “The time for good men & women to step up and do what is needed is here.”
Durr’s shocking upset and humble victory proves that in politics, just like in life, money can’t buy everything.
In fact, the most important things in life – faith, family, and friendship – are priceless.
Photo from Twitter.
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