Hotelier Curtis Bashaw will beat Mendham Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner in the race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, The Associated Press projects.
Bashaw will face the rep. Andy Kim (D-03) in the general election for the seat now held by Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat. Menendez, who is currently on trial on federal corruption charges, intends to seek re-election as an independent in November if he is acquitted.
“I believe in New Jersey, I believe in its people and I believe in freedom. And that’s why I believe it’s time for change,” Bashaw said during a post-election speech at Congress Hall in Cape May City. “It is time to bring in a political outsider who can produce results. »
Bashaw faces a tough path to victory in November. Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate race in New Jersey since the state re-elected the senator. Clifford affair in 1972.
By nominating Bashaw, New Jersey Republicans avoided former President Donald Trump’s choice for the seat. In May, Trump endorsed Serrano Glassner, who is the wife of former Trump adviser Michael Glassner, and conceded the race Tuesday night.
Republican voters’ decision to reject the Trump-backed candidate could prove crucial in a general election. Trump lost all but five New Jersey counties in 2020, including traditionally Republican counties like Morris and Hunterdon, and his presence on the ballot is unlikely to help Republicans down in competitive races this year.
Menendez’s candidacy could also help Bashaw. The senator remains widely known despite a large loss of support following his indictment in September, and his presence on the ballot could be enough to swing a close race in the Republican’s favor.
“In case you haven’t heard, I’m running against not one, but two Democratic machines in November,” Bashaw said.
Although a federal judge banned the use of county boundaries in this year’s Democratic primaries, Republican primary ballots included a line in all but three counties: Sussex, Somerset and Burlington.
This voting practice, unique to New Jersey, groups candidates with a common slogan seeking separate positions on a single row or column of the ballot and has been shown to give an advantage to the candidates who receive it.
Bashaw, a real estate developer, emerged from the party conventions with county boundaries in 12 counties, including Republican-rich Ocean County, the state’s largest source of GOP primary votes.
Party support was not Bashaw’s only advantage. He entered the final weeks of the race having outraised Serrano Glassner about 3-to-1, earning him $1.4 million, or nearly $475,000.
The majority of funds raised by both candidates came from their own pockets. Bashaw loaned his campaign $800,000 through mid-May, and Serrano Glassner loaned his $300,000.
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