GOP Truck Driver Who Beat Top Jersey Democrat Apologizes for Past Bigoted Tweets

A Republican commercial truck driver who unseated a powerful Democrat in New Jersey – all while spending just $153 on his campaign – has apologized for past bigoted tweets.

Edward Durr unseated 19-year New Jersey state Sen. Steve Sweeney, who has been the president of the legislative chamber since 2010. Sweeney has represented New Jersey’s 3rd Legislative District since 2002.

Durr received 33,022 votes, while Sweeney got 30,927 – a margin of 2,298. Sweeney’s loss came despite Murphy’s re-election – the first time a Democratic governor of the Garden State has been re-elected since 1977.

Nonetheless, according to the local NBC affiliate in Philadelphia:

One post on Republican Edward Durr’s Twitter account calls the Prophet Muhammad a “pedophile” and Islam a “false religion” and a “cult of hate,” while describing adherents to Muslim teachings as “fools.” The posts emerged just hours after the race was called in his favor.

…

Another tweet on Durr’s account, posted in response to a screenshot of a Chelsea Manning tweet, calls Manning “she/him” and “shim.” Manning is a transgender woman. Yet another tweet claims there were “thugs” on “both sides” of the deadly 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, including Black Lives Matter activists and antifascists.

On Facebook, Durr’s account includes a post claiming Vice President Kamala Harris earned her position based only on her race and gender.

Durr told a reporter with a Philadelphia public radio station, “I’m a passionate guy. And I say things in the heat of the moment. And if I said anything in the past that hurt anybody’s feelings, I sincerely apologize.”

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!