Hours after Edward Durr seemingly solidified his stunning election victory over state Senate President Steve Sweeney, xenophobic and anti-Muslim social media messages have surfaced that were posted from his accounts.
The posts came to light shortly after the Associated Press projected Durr’s victory over Sweeney on Thursday morning in the 3rd legislative district, putting him on the verge of one of the biggest upsets in New Jersey political history. With 100% of precincts reporting, Durr led Sweeney 32,742 votes to 30,444 — 51.8% to 48.2%.
Durr, 58, did not immediately respond to two phone messages seeking comment.
A post from his Twitter account in September 2019 labeled Islam “a false religion” and its prophet, Muhammad, a “pedophile.”
A pair of tweets from Durr’s account called U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez a “pedophile” in 2017 and 2018. And multiple posts from his Facebook account downplayed the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol — one called it “not an insurrection ... (but) an unauthorized entry by undocumented federal employers!”
In September, a post from Durr’s Facebook account compared COVID-19 mandates to Jews being exterminated in the Holocaust.
He also seemingly took shots at Vice President Kamala Harris on his personal Facebook account.
Richard McGrath, the Senate Democratic spokesman, declined to comment about Durr’s posts when reached via email. Sweeney did not immediately return a phone message left Thursday night seeking comment.
Durr, a commercial truck driver for 25 years, challenged Sweeney on a shoe-string budget, claiming to have spent a whopping $153 during the primary portion of his campaign. Durr has never held political office, and most people outside South Jersey had never even heard of him before Tuesday.
Sweeney, meanwhile, is the longest-tenured Senate president in New Jersey history, having held the post since 2010. He was expected to serve a seventh term in the position before launching a possible bid for governor in 2025.
Sweeney has not conceded, saying not all votes have been counted.
“I joked with people and I said, ‘I’m going to shock the world. I’m going to beat this man,’” Durr told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday afternoon. “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.”
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Matthew Stanmyre may be reached at mstanmyre@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattStanmyre. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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Newly elected GOP state senator’s social media accounts contain xenophobic, anti-Muslim posts - NJ.com
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