Republican Edward Durr was declared winner of the state senate race in South Jersey’s 3rd legislative district by the Associated Press on Thursday. At the time the race was called, Durr was ahead of Democrat Stephen Sweeney by roughly 2,000 votes. Durr entered the race as a long shot against Sweeney, who has held the office for a dozen years and is currently president of the state senate. Durr told Politico he was “walking on eggshells” while the results were being recorded, though he held a sizable lead since Wednesday....

Griffin, who served in various White House rolls including the director of strategic communications during former President Donald Trump’s time in office, said she believes Republicans will keep him around for fundraising during the midterms. “Republicans are going to keep him around through 2022 because he will be helpful in winning back House seats, getting back the House majority,” she said on CNN’s State of the Union. “He is monster fundraiser....

A national NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll released Wednesday found that although a 61 percent majority of GOP men said they would take the vaccine, only 34 percent GOP women agreed. Democratic women also appeared to be more reluctant than their male counterparts, although both were more likely to agree than Republicans, with 85 percent of men and 70 percent of women saying they would choose to be vaccinated. However, a 71 percent majority of Independent women said they would take the vaccine, more than the 62 percent of Independent men who agreed....

Kahne led the most laps — his best performance of the season — and was in control until Jeff Gordon beat him on the final restart, leading to Kahne’s sixth-place finish. For Kahne and a handful of other established winners, it was another race and another missed opportunity without a win. “Yeah, no kidding. I know that,” Kahne said when reminded of his status by a TV reporter after the race....

But he couldn’t hold off Johnson teammate Jeff Gordon, who passed Kenseth for the lead with 21 laps remaining at Martinsville Speedway and held on for his first win of the season. Kenseth finished second and Johnson fifth, forging a tie at the top of the Chase standings with just three races remaining. Johnson entered the race with a four-point lead on Kenseth. Kenseth has never won at Martinsville, where Johnson and Gordon each have eight career victories....

Gore, who had been trailing Republican rival George W. Bush 48 percent to 38 percent heading into the convention, had been hoping to close the gap or draw even, aides said. He did even better than that. Gore now holds a 48 percent to 42 percent advantage in a four-way race that also includes Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan and Green Party representative Ralph Nader. In a two-way contest, Gore leads 52 to 44, the Newsweek polls says....

Goretzka’s brace inside the first eight minutes set Joachim Low’s side on the way to a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Mexico in Sochi. Goretzka lights up Confederations Cup Low’s experimental squad have found Fisht Stadium to their liking, winning all three of their games on the Black Sea coast during the tournament and plundering 10 goals in the process. But they were forced to come from behind to claim a 1-1 draw with Copa America holders Chile when the sides met during the group stage in Kazan and Schalke midfielder Goretzka believes they deserved more for their efforts on that occasion....

The Republican Governor hit out at Walsh in a Wednesday tweet after the Daily Wire host bemoaned her decision not to ban businesses from introducing COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Her position stands her in contrast to fellow Republican governors Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott, both of whom barred business from requiring proof of vaccination from customers, something which annoyed Walsh. Speaking on his eponymous show on Wednesday, Walsh said: “Kristi Noem is a very attractive woman, so she’s got that going for her....

The Governors Ball Music Festival posted a message on Twitter on Monday labeled “Stay tuned for a lineup addition.” The tweet added, “Founders Entertainment does not and will not tolerate hate or discrimination of any kind. We welcome and celebrate the diverse communities that make New York City the greatest city in the world. Thank you to the fans who continue to speak up for what is right. Along with you, we will continue to use our platform for good....

The states’ measures have led to a wave of lawsuits and court rulings about their impact on constitutional rights, with the most high-profile ones involving prayer and abortion. However, the basic legitimacy of the government depriving millions of their basic liberties and livelihood has not been a large part of the debate. Instead, it has been about how these measures apply to certain particular, and highly politicized, rights. Whatever the merits of the harsh measures imposed in response to COVID-19, such measures should be seen as either inherently problematic or tolerable, regardless of what closures and social distancing might mean for particular rights....

The 18-year-old, who won five awards on the night, took to the stage after winning “Album of the Year” for her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and used her speech to praise Grande. “Can I just say that Ariana [Grande] deserves this. Thank U, Next got me through some s*** and I think it deserves more than anything in the world. I love you,” she said....

Aguero has been out of action since injuring his knee in training ahead of City’s win at Stoke on March 12. City doctors initially feared a two- or three-week lay-off and Guardiola, speaking after Saturday’s victory at Goodison Park, believes the Argentine’s best bet is an appearance from the bench. “We will see,” he said when asked if Aguero could return at Anfield. “Still he didn’t train. One training session....

Jameson has posted updates to her official Instagram account, where she thanked her followers for their support and said she “will likely remain here until treatment is complete.” Jameson’s partner, Lior Bitton, also published an Instagram post to Jameson’s account explaining that she had been struggling to walk. Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare neurological disorder in which the body’s nervous system is mistakenly attacked by the immune system. As a result, the muscles of the body have trouble communicating with the brain through the nervous system....

Guy Reffitt, 49, was found guilty by a jury of all five charges against him relating to the Capitol riot in the landmark proceedings for prosecutors. Reffitt, a member of the far-right Texas Three Percenters group, was the first person to stand trial over the January 6 attack, with hundreds more defendants who have now been charged awaiting to either take a plea deal or also face their day in court....

If the Carolina Panthers’ star defensive lineman is found guilty in a jury trial of assaulting and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder, he’ll become a case study under the league’s new personal conduct policy, which mandates a six-game unpaid suspension for first-time offenders like Hardy. A district court judge ruled in a July bench trial that Hardy was guilty of the misdemeanor charges stemming from his run-in with Holder, a local cocktail waitress, and subsequent May 13 arrest....

In other words, there were no surprises in the MVP voting. MORE: SN reveals its award picks | Second-round schedule | Get playoff tickets here Ovechkin led the NHL with 53 goals this season, his sixth season of 50 or more. He’s the sixth player in league history to reach the half-century mark that many times. Washington’s captain is in contention for his fourth Hart Trophy; he won the award in 2008, 2009 and 2013....

Take it away, @Dartmouth_MIH, you lovable, Ivy League scamps. (The delay, by the way, lasted more than an hour, and there are more tweets. A lot more).

Goal understands that City have cooled their interest in Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred, news which will come as a major surprise not just to many of the Blues’ followers, but perhaps to key figures inside the club. As recently as early February certain senior members of staff had been talking as if a deal for the Brazilian had been all but wrapped up, with the Blues keen to sign him in the summer having failed to persuade Shakhtar to sell in January....

The loss of Antic leaves the Hawks thin on their front line as they prepare to play San Antonio on Friday night. Antic has been Atlanta's primary replacement for Al Horford, who was lost for the season when he tore his right pectoral muscle on Dec. 26. Antic suffered a mild right ankle sprain in the Hawks' loss to the Nets in London on Jan. 16. A follow-up examination in Atlanta on Thursday revealed the stress fracture....

The Hawks have been shopping Jeff Teague to several teams, including the Knicks, Yahoo Sports reported, citing unnamed sources. The Knicks especially have expressed interest in Teague, who has been with the Hawks for seven seasons after he being drafted out of Wake Forest. MORE: 5 players who should be All-Stars but definitely won’t be While Teague joining the Knicks would certainly cause a restructure in the offense, it’s unclear what New York would offer Atlanta....