Republican truck driver Ed Durr ends bid to be New Jersey governor and backs Bill Spadea

New Jersey Republican Ed Durr, the delivery truck driver who defeated the top Democratic lawmaker in 2021, said Monday he’s ending his bid to win the GOP nomination in this year’s governor’s race.

Durr, a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, said in a statement ahead of the June primary that he didn’t bring in enough money to qualify for matching funds and would be left out of debates.

He endorsed fellow Republican Bill Spadea, a conservative radio host who also is courting Trump’s support.

“I am not going away,” Durr said. “I will continue to fight for our conservative values and then there are other races on the horizon.”

New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy is term-limited and cannot run for a third time in this year’s contest, one of just two governorships up for election, along with Virginia.

Also seeking the GOP nomination are Trump skeptic state Sen. Jon Bramnick and former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, who had been critical of Trump eight years ago but has since become supportive, along with Spadea.

Six Democrats are competing for their party’s nomination.

Democrats have nearly one million more registered voters than Republicans in New Jersey, and while the state has been reliably blue during presidential elections and U.S. Senate races, the GOP has had luck winning in the odd-year races for governor.