Mark Karlin: The $153 Dollar GOP Campaign Victory That Should Be a Warning Shot to Dems

Democratic New Jersey Senate President (D) just defeated for re-election by $153 and donuts.

November 5, 2021

MARK KARLIN, EDITOR OF BUZZFLASH

A commercial truck driver beat the legendary Stephen McSweeney, Democratic head of the New Jersey Senate, on Tuesday. Edward Durr pulled it off, as Republican turnout beat all expectations (although NJ Governor Phil Murphy won re-election by a sliver).

The irresistible attraction of the Durr story was that he allegedly just spent $153 in his renegade campaign to oust a seemingly unbeatable Sweeney, whose last race drew $50 million in campaign spending. Media has been fascinated that Durr claims half of the $153 were for donuts.

What Durr signals to Democrats for the 2022 midterms is they still have a problem with white male voters who are not college educated. Durr fits the full profile of a Trump voter, including recently unearthed anti-Islamic statements on Facebook. As the Philadelphia Inquirer describes Durr:

Durr, 58, had made other incendiary claims on social media. He also downplayed the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and touted other right-wing conspiracy theories on social media and referred to all undocumented immigrants as “criminals,” among other comments that have gained scrutiny since his stunning upset win.

On his campaign website, Durr declared: "I have lived here all my life. I have been a commercial truck driver for last 25 years. I consider myself to be ‘blue collar.’ I believe in God. I am hard working, trusting, and very loyal. I believe in fiscal responsibility, transparency, and lower taxes. I also support the Second Amendment. I am not a polished politician who is looking for a career; instead, I would like to see government return to the hands of the people."

In a campaign video, Durr hops on a motorcycle with a “Don’t Tread on Me” Flag. He emphasized taxes being too high and “soaring crime.” In short, he was a Trump proxy who won through the use of social media and building a campaign network without shelling out dollars.

Yes, McAuliffe lost in Virginia, but the Durr victory shows that even in high turnout elections, the working class white male can sink a Democratic campaign. It also is proof that high turnout elections don’t always result in Democratic wins.

This was the case in Virginia, where McAuliffe lost the white vote 57% -43%.

As Reid J. Epstein noted in the New York Times email newsletter, “On Politics,”

How then to explain the election on Tuesday in Virginia, where Glenn Youngkin, now the Republican governor-elect, beat former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in a contest in which at least 25 percent more votes were cast than in any governor’s race in the state’s history? (The number will go up; mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day will be counted as long as they are received by this Friday.,,)

In this week’s election, McAuliffe won 200,000 votes more than Northam did when he won the 2017 election in a blowout. He won nearly 600,000 more votes than he did in 2013 when he beat Kenneth Cuccinelli II to become governor. He beat his internal turnout targets in Northern Virginia, Richmond and the Norfolk area. Turnout was strong in Black precincts, college towns and the suburbs, all traditional areas of strength for Democratic candidates.

In short, making it easier to vote, as was the case under the Democrats in Virginia, does not ensure a Democratic victory. And Dems don’t start clamoring that the Republicans stole an election when they win.

As Thom Hartmann recently wrote, populism is a two-edged sword: it can be right-wing or progressive. The Democrats are forever too timid to run on bread and butter and social and economic issues to attract more working class voters. The Dems have majority support for their progressive issues, but they don’t know how to effectively message them and frame them to the working class white voter.

The Republicans are hopping on board this train big time. Just this past week Marco Rubio recommended the GOP drop corporations and align with the working class. In reality, Republicans have been using wedge issues to attract the white working class for years in order to advance the financial interests of corporations and the wealthy.

Edward Durr should be a warning shot across the bows of Dems as the 2022 midterms approach. But it will take more than donuts to win.