Fox News host Tucker Carlson could not contain his unbridled delight last month while speaking to Edward Durr, a political newbie who pulled off a stunning electoral upset in November by unseating a powerful Democratic incumbent in the New Jersey state Senate.
Durr, who reportedly spent just $153 on his Republican primary campaign, was a truck driver for a furniture company and had never held office.
Now, he’s replacing the most powerful lawmaker in the state and the second-most powerful politician in New Jersey. Democrat Steve Sweeney had served as state Senate president since 2009.
Durr recounted the conversation he had with Sweeney, who called him to concede after initially contesting the results in the state’s 3rd legislative district.
“He congratulated me and just wished me luck, that [I’d] do well for South Jersey,” Durr told Carlson.
Carlson followed up by asking, “So he was a gentleman about it?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was a gentleman,” Durr replied. “And when we, you know, and like I told him, I said, you know, if he ever needed anything, just give me a call, you know, because I’m his representative now.”
That’s when Carlson burst out laughing at the delicious irony of Durr’s epic David vs. Goliath victory.
“That’s so great,” he said. “Mr. Durr, congratulations. It’s great to talk to you.”
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Durr’s down-to-earth demeanor and blue-collar folksiness resonated with many voters.
On Twitter, the trucker driver was hailed as a hero who represents the common man.
Ed Durr is my hero. https://t.co/wQhf2EVl0t
— Wiggler is Catholic ?? (@WigglyCath) November 3, 2021
Ed Durr winning his campaign on $153 is what America is all about.
Regular folks stepping up.
We all can make a difference.
— Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) November 5, 2021
During his interview with Carlson, Durr said he understands the concerns of his constituents, who are roiling from rampant inflation.
The senator-elect said a “perfect storm” of left-wing policy failures motivated him to run for office, starting with New Jersey’s oppressive coronavirus mandates under Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and the liberal state’s sky-high taxes.
“You not only had the high cost of living in the state, the worst tax rate, the worst business tax rate — you had people being told they couldn’t live, they couldn’t go to stores, they couldn’t go to church,” he recalled. “You had nursing home deaths.
“It just became a combination of everything, and I got fed up with it. And I said, ‘I’m not leaving the state. I’m going to fix the state.’ And that’s what I chose to do.”
Carlson said Durr’s transformation from truck driver to powerful legislator spotlights what is great about America.
“That seems like a triumph of democracy, right? You know? It’s a citizen who decides he wants a hand in running his government,” the Fox News host said.
In response to snide left-wing criticism that a truck driver cannot legislate (even though the left gushes over barmaid-turned-congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), Durr replied, “How much worse could I make it?”
Wisdom from Senator-elect Ed Durr!
As long as Democrats keep condescending to truck drivers, they’re going to keep losing to truck drivers. https://t.co/S1tjGGeDHr
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) November 12, 2021
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas mocked the left’s pompous snobbery toward blue-collar Americans by tweeting, “As long as Democrats keep condescending to truck drivers, they’re going to keep losing to truck drivers.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
