Prominent New Jersey politician lost election to truck driver

Stephen Sweeney, a Democrat and President of the New Jersey Senate, lost the election to Edward Duerr, a furniture chain truck driver who ran for the GOP nomination. This unexpected outcome of the vote was reported by the publication The New York Times.

For nearly a decade, Stephen Sweeney, the second largest legislator in New Jersey, seemed truly unshakable on the political map of the state. He boasted lucrative political connections and unwavering support from influential building unions. Four years ago, the state teachers' union spent over $ 5 million to remove him from office. However, he won by 18%.

This year, his rival was Edward Duerr, a truck driver at Raymour & Flanigan who had never been involved in politics before. His campaign video was filmed on a smartphone. However, Sweeney lost to Durr. Voters opted for an unknown Republican guy over a powerful Democrat. This instantly shocked the entire political elite of the state.

Although Sweeney County in the southwestern part of the state has never been as "blue" (the color of the Democratic Party) as the northeastern counties, residents of the area consistently voted for Democrats. Since the constituency was created in 1973, the Democrats have always won there, with only one exception being the elections. Now there are two exceptions ...

Sweeney retained control of a largely suburban and poor rural area. He held control thanks to his powerful allies and a reputation as a moderate Democrat, as well as his former metalworker and union leader.

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Sweeney's defeat in New Jersey is a blow to the hierarchy. It leaves a significant vacuum in the state legislature. Sweeney served as president of the Senate with the power to determine the legislative agenda for almost 12 years, and now no one expected that he would lose and someone else would have to look for this seat.

What is the strength of a truck driver

Duerr said he spent $ 153 on his campaign. However, financial records show that he spent roughly $ 2200 on his race. His lean campaign included an 80-second video. In the first scene of the video, he emphasized his roots - a native of the working class. At the beginning of the video, he stepped out of the cab of the truck and ended the video with a motorcycle ride.

“The President of the Senate has spent 20 years in Trenton. And what is the bottom line? Higher taxes, rising debt and higher cost of living, ”says Duerr in his video.

The winner's campaign mainly consisted of his videos and door-to-door campaigning of people in the neighborhood.

Dürr was at work, driving a truck, when he was informed of the victory.

With little attention to the race, Duerr went largely unnoticed and unknown to the general public. But after the announcement of the election results, the old statements of the man began to spread on social networks, which he shared on his page. One reflects support from “both sides” during a 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The other condemns Islam.

At an impromptu press conference in front of his home on November 4, Duerr nodded to the electorate, who he believed was angry.

“This did not happen because of me. I am nobody. I'm a simple guy. I won thanks to people. They abandoned the policies that were imposed on them, ”he said.

Dürr then ended the press conference and took his three pit bulls out for a walk.

Sweeney, in a November 4 statement, did not agree to admit defeat, saying there are 12000 more absentee ballots to be counted. He added that he will await the final results of the vote count.

Democrats, of course, still retain one-party control over the entire state government. But, nevertheless, Sweeney's defeat shocked the authorities.