Truck Driver Who Spent Just $153 On Campaign (Mostly on Donuts) Unseats Top New Jersey Democrat

A Republican commercial truck driver has unseated a powerful Democrat in New Jersey – all while spending just $153 on his campaign, mostly on doughnuts.

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 32,742 votes, while Sweeney got 30,444 – a margin of 2,298.

“I joked with people and I said, ‘I’m going to shock the world, I’m going to beat this man,’” Durr told NJ.com on Wednesday. “I was saying it, but really kind of joking. Because 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.”

According to the Associated Press, Sweeney:

…was responsible for shepherding Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s progressive agenda through the Legislature, including a phased-in $15 an hour minimum wage, paid sick leave and recreational marijuana legalization.

He is also known for his high-profile reversal on opposition to gay marriage. Sweeney said in 2011 that he made the “biggest mistake of my legislative career” when he voted against marriage equality.

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.