CNN projected Friday that Durr, who spent two decades as a commercial truck driver and decided to run for the seat when he was denied a concealed carry permit for a gun, will defeat longtime state Senate President Steve Sweeney.
Sweeney, the longest-tenured state Senate leader in New Jersey history, had been considered the favorite to win the South Jersey seat he was first elected to in 2001.
Asked during a Fox News interview the night after the election what his priority was when he arrived at the state Capitol, Durr promised to be a “voice for the people,” but was short on specifics.
“I really don’t know. That’s the key factor. I don’t know what I don’t know, so I will learn what I need to know,” Durr said. “I’m going to guarantee you one thing: I will be the voice, and people will hear me, because if there’s one thing people will learn about me, I’ve got a big mouth.”
Controversial tweets
The Republican has already been asked to account for old tweets that were uncovered by news outlets, including CNN.
CNN obtained cached and archived copies of tweets from Durr in which he indicates support for QAnon and expresses Islamophobia.
In one tweet from 2019, Durr referred to the Prophet Muhammad as a “pedophile” and Islam as “a false religion” and “a cult of hate.”
In another tweet published in the summer of 2020, Durr wrote to another Twitter user using the hashtag “WWG1WGA,” a well-known QAnon phrase that means, “Where we go one, we go all.”
Durr also expressed xenophobic ideas, tweeting in 2018 that Murphy should “stop pushing #sanctuary state & inviting #illegals to our state.” He added the hashtags “#BuildTheWall,” “#NoIllegals” and “#MAGA.” CNN also unearthed a tweet from Durr at the state’s first lady, Tammy Murphy, calling Covid-19 the “China virus” and blaming the “influx of #IllegalAliens” for “the return of diseases.”
In response to an online article about police being directed to use correct pronouns for transgender people, he tweeted, “Not enough that police must deal with all the issues with criminals, now they must watch what pronouns they used. Intelligence has no place in Trenton!”
Durr also denied climate change in a tweet, saying, “1st there is no climate crisis, climate change its call seasons.” He called Planned Parenthood “murderers” in the same tweet.
Durr’s Twitter account has since been deleted. CNN has contacted Durr and Twitter for comment.
In a statement to CNN affiliate KYW, the Republican apologized for his previous Islamophobic comments.
“I’m a passionate guy and I sometimes say things in the heat of the moment. If I said things in the past that hurt anybody’s feelings, I sincerely apologize. I support everybody’s right to worship in any manner they choose and to worship the God of their choice. I support all people and I support everybody’s rights. That’s what I am here to do, work for the people and support their rights.”
It is not clear if he was asked about the other offensive posts.
Durr, who CNN has not been able to reach directly, agreed to meet with Muslim community leaders from his district and representatives from the Council on American-Islamic Relations next week, Selaedin Maksut, executive director of the organization’s New Jersey chapter, told CNN on Friday.
“This ‘apology’ fails to address the issues with Mr. Durr’s bigoted, anti-Muslim statements. We urge him to meet with Muslim leaders and fully repudiate his comments and address the concerns of the Muslim community,” the national organization tweeted.
No concession from Sweeney
“The Senate President has spent 20 years in Trenton,” Durr says in the clip, which begins with him exiting the cab of a truck and ends with him riding off on a motorcycle. “Higher taxes, increasing debt and rising cost of living — we deserve better. New Jersey, it’s time for a change. So together, let’s end single-party rule.”
Sweeney, who has beaten back better-organized, heavily funded challengers in the past, has not yet conceded the race.
Democrats already expecting a challenging 2022 midterm election season are now scrambling to draw up a message to protect the party’s fragile congressional majorities.
This story has been updated with additional reporting Friday.
CNN’s Jennifier Agiesta and Chris Cillizza contributed to this report.