Vax Mandates Compared To Holocaust In NJ Senator-Elect's Tweet

WEST DEPTFORD, NJ — A newly-elected State Senator from South Jersey will meet with Muslim leaders following backlash he received for an anti-Islamic tweet posted two years ago, even as other tweets concerning the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, and comparing vaccine mandates to the holocaust emerge.

Republican Edward Durr, who made a splash on the national political scene when he defeated longtime incumbent Democrat Steve Sweeney in last week’s elections, has agreed to meet with Muslim Community leaders, according to the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ).

CAIR had called on Durr to apologize after a tweet initially sent out in September 2019 in which he said, "Mohammad was a pedophile! Islam is a false religion! Only fools follow muslim teachings! It is a cult of hate!" resurfaced less than a day after The Associated Press projected he had beaten Sweeney. Read more here: GOP State Senator-Elect Faces Backlash Over Islamaphobic Tweets

Durr apologized in a statement, but hasn’t made any additional public comments while he deals with personal issues, according to the Gloucester County Republican Party. His Twitter account has been taken down.

Party officials also held a news conference to discuss this tweet and other controversial tweets.

In those tweets, Durr equated not opposing COVID-19 mandates to standing idly by during the Holocaust, and said Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol didn’t amount to an insurrection, according to Fox 5 New York. He did say that he doesn’t agree with the entering of the Capitol, “But I was not surprised after courts refuse to do their job!"

“He was a little bit of a keyboard warrior at the time,” Gloucester County Republican Party Chair Jacci Vigilante said at the news conference. “He didn’t intend to offend anyone’s religion, and certainly believes that everyone has the right to practice the religion of their choice. He is a big defender of the First Amendment and the Constitution of the United States.”

Last week, Sweeney issued a statement that he would not concede defeat until all votes had been counted. He said 12,000 more votes had been found, but it wasn’t clear where those votes came from. Read more here: Trucker With $153 Campaign Unseats NJ Senate President

The last tally, posted by The Associated Press on Sunday morning, showed Durr had 33,071 votes, compared to 31,038 votes for Sweeney.

The Assembly race in the 3rd Legislative District still has not yet been decided. As of Monday morning, Republicans Beth Sawyer and Bethanne McCarthy Patrick maintained their lead over incumbent Democrats John Burzichelli and Adam Taliaferro, but no winners had been projected.

Sawyer leads the way with 33,205 votes, followed by Patrick with 33,053 votes. Burzichelli had 33,501 votes, and Taliaferro had 30,043 votes.