In the wake of the Democrat Party’s sweeping losses in Virginia, we noted the other off-year gubernatorial contest the Democrats almost lost, that of incumbent New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, who narrowly defeated his Republican opponent by one percentage point.

The victories in Virginia were, in part, a referendum on Joe Biden’s administrative failures, given that he carried that state in last year’s presidential election by 10 points. Indeed, his state polling was as abysmal as his national polling, but Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe in large measure because he campaigned on issues important to Virginians.

In New Jersey, a state Biden carried by 16 points last year, the fact that Phil Murphy was almost defeated is astounding. While all the pundits were focused on Virginia, nobody expected New Jersey’s Demo political machine would almost fail. Pollsters admitted their predictions were way off. Even the Real Clear Politics polling average had Murphy winning by 7.8 points, and Monmouth had Murphy up by 11. Demos attempted to put a smiley face on the near loss by noting Murphy was the first incumbent Democrat governor in 44 years to win reelection – but that is because over those decades, three incumbent Republicans governors did win reelection.

Apparently New Jersey’s Demo State Senate president, Steve Sweeney, also believed he was invincible. Sweeney was considered to be “New Jersey’s most powerful lawmaker,” until Durr’s upset win, “a severe blow to Democrats” as Sweeney’s network was “their most effective political machine.”

Sweeney has been a Garden State political power broker for 20 years, and he has led the state’s senate since 2010.

But that didn’t deter Republican Ed Durr, who, astoundingly, defeated Sweeney by more than a three-point margin.

Ed is a grassroots American, not a politician. He’s a 58-year-old Jersey native who has been a furniture delivery guy for the last 25 years, a Harley-riding “constitutional conservative” father of three and grandfather of six. He took a more active interest in politics in 2019 after local Demo officials denied him a concealed carry permit. Ed said: “I was told flat-out by the local sheriff, ‘Don’t even bother.’ And that kind of angered me. I’ve never been arrested and I couldn’t get a concealed carry? … That really angered me, so I looked into what can you do to get into politics.” He lost his first bid for a state assembly seat, but when nobody stepped up to challenge the most powerful senate Demo Sweeney, Ed volunteered to be what he assumed was a “sacrificial lamb” Republican on the ballot against the South Jersey party machine.

Ed, who said he is “not seeking power or fame, only to give the people better representation,” spent $153 in his primary campaign, and $2,313 in the general election, mostly on printed flyers and snacks for his door-to-door campaign volunteers. He “filmed” his campaign video on his cell phone. You gotta love that!

Sweeney, on the other hand, spent $1,061,957 on advertising and consultants and, of course, is refusing to concede defeat to a common man, a mere mortal citizen.

Ed advocated for tax cuts and Second Amendment rights.

He tapped into the Demos’ oppressive pandemic overreach: “You have the debacle of unemployment. The masking of the kids in school. You have Senator Sweeney trying to take away peoples’ medical freedom rights. I think 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 tapped into voter disgust with the Demos’ political machinations: “Just the constant nepotism, corruption, ‘if you take care of me, I’ll take care of you’ deals. You don’t have evidence, you can’t get anyone arrested or prove anything, but there’s always ‘when there’s smoke there’s fire’ kind of statements.”

Of his victory, he said: “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?’ My daughter was sitting next to me. She laughed at me and said, ‘Dad, you’ve got tears running down my face.’”

Responding to Ed’s victory, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) summed it up for all of us: “Hahaha no way.”

Apparently, WAY!

Notably, Republican Assembly candidates Bethanne McCarthy Patrick and Beth Sawyer also appear on track to defeat Demo incumbents.

(Update: Ed is quickly learning that the Democrat Party Leftmedia will hang impromptu social media posts around your neck, and has appologized for a post two years ago claiming: “Mohammed was a pedophile! Islam is a false religion! Only fools follow Muslim teachings! It is a cult of hate!” He said he regretted the post: “I’m a passionate guy and I sometimes say things in the heat of the moment. If I said things in the past that hurt anybody’s feelings, I sincerely apologize. I support everybody’s right to worship in any manner they choose and to worship the God of their choice. I support all people and I support everybody’s rights. That’s what I am here to do, work for the people and support their rights.”)

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776