Gotta Run  

Illustrations: Menachem Weinreb

It’s hard not to take heart in the victories of the little guys.

Just look at Edward Durr, a truck driver who spent $2,300 on his campaign, half of it on Dunkin Donuts, to defeat Steve Sweeney, the president of the New Jersey state senate and the longest-serving politician in Garden State politics. Durr, outraged by the denial of his gun permit application, filmed a campaign video with his iPhone calling for change.

He is now, suspenders and all, the state senator–elect for the south Jersey district.

“I joked with people and I said, ‘I’m going to shock the world, I’m going to beat this man,’ ” Durr said after his Tuesday victory. “I was saying it, but really kind of joking. Because what chance did a person like me really stand against this man? He’s literally the second-most-powerful person in the state of New Jersey.”