Burzichelli unseats Ed the Trucker, avenging Steve Sweeney’s loss

State Sen. “Ed the Trucker” Durr (R-Logan), who rose to immense and sudden fame in 2021 when he unseated Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford), has lost re-election, the New Jersey Globe projects. Former Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D-Paulsboro) leads Durr 53%-47% with most of the vote counted as of 12:18 a.m.

Burzichelli’s two running mates, Gloucester County Commissioner Heather Simmons (D-Glassboro) and Salem County nonprofit leader Dave Bailey, have also won their races. They have 25.4% and 25.3% of the vote, respectively, against incumbent Assemblywoman Bethanne McCarthy Patrick (R-Mannington) and Hopewell Township Committeeman Tom Tedesco, who have 24.7% and 24.6%.

The results are a massive show of force from the South Jersey Democratic organization, which was in dire shape two years ago but has come roaring back in tonight’s election.

Just over two years ago, Durr was a complete political unknown running against Sweeney with nearly no campaign operation and only a few thousand dollars in his fundraising account. But on November 2, 2021, he shocked the political world and unseated Sweeney against all odds; Sweeney’s running mates, among them Burzichelli, also lost to McCarthy Patrick and now-Assemblywoman Beth Sawyer (R-Woolwich).

The staggering result, which ended the reign of the longest-serving legislative leader in state history, made headlines in papers that typically wouldn’t deign to cover a New Jersey legislative race. It also made Durr, a truck driver and staunch conservative, a hero in Republican circles.

Once Durr was sworn into the legislature, he had to build up a political apparatus and a Senate office from virtually nothing, and there were some serious bumps along the way. Durr’s relationship with Sawyer quickly went south, to the extent that Sawyer challenged Durr for renomination in this year’s Republican primary; Durr won handily, but the race created sharp and lasting divisions within the Gloucester County GOP.

And South Jersey Democrats, who had largely let the 2021 race fall off their radar, weren’t going to let Republicans win the 3rd district again without a massive fight. Sweeney declined to run again, so Democrats instead chose Burzichelli to fill his shoes.

The resulting showdown between Durr, Burzichelli, and their respective running mates was expensive and intense. 

South Jersey Democrats, as they usually do, had a huge financial advantage over Durr, who never used his celebrity status to build up much of a fundraising base. But the 3rd district is quite Republican-leaning – it voted for Jack Ciattarelli by 16 points in 2021, making it more conservative than nearly any other district on this year’s legislative playing field – and there was no guarantee Democrats would be able to recapture the strength they once had in the region.

Yet thanks to a colossal vote-by-mail operation and a generally well-run campaign, Democrats were indeed able to come out on top. Now the question is whether Durr will keep his political career alive – or simply go back to trucking.

See all 2023 election results HERE.