exclusive -It’s been more than half a century since Republicans won the Senate race in the blue state of New Jersey.
But real estate developer and hotelier Curtis Bashaw is optimistic about his party’s prospects for ending its decades-long losing streak in November’s election.
“I believe this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” said Bashaw, one of two potential candidates running in June’s New Jersey Republican Senate primary. ” he emphasized.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how we prove to the nation that New Jersey is more purple than people think,” he added in an exclusive national digital interview on Fox News.
This popular former Republican governor aims to flip Deep Blue state’s Senate seat
Curtis Bashaw, real estate developer and hotelier and Republican candidate for the New Jersey Senate, stands in front of the historic Congress Hall Hotel in Cape May, New Jersey, on April 10, 2024. (Curtis Bashaw campaign)
A major reason for Bashaw’s optimism is the prospect of a three-way race in New Jersey. Longtime Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, who was indicted last year on federal corruption charges, is not running for re-election as a Democrat and is instead considering running alone, but polls show he is a Democrat. There are indications that it could steal votes from Rep. Bob Menendez, a likely Senate candidate. Andy Kim.
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Mr. Bashaw is an entrepreneur, historic preservationist and politician recognized in the Garden State for leading the restoration of the historic Capitol and Virginia Hotel in Cape May on the southern tip of the Jersey shore. This is my first time.
“I’m a political outsider,” Bashaw stressed. “I’m a businessman. He spent over 35 years building a business restoring landmark abandoned hotels.”
He highlighted how he grew his business from 25 to 1,000 employees.
“I’m in this because I want to free small businesses from overregulation,” he said.
File photo of New Jersey Democratic Congressman Andy Kim at the U.S. Capitol. (FOX News Digital/John Michael Raasch)
Bashaw’s main rival for the Republican nomination is Christine Serrano Glasner, who served as mayor of Mendham in the northern part of the state for four years.
Mr. Bashaw has an overwhelming fundraising advantage in the Republican campaign, in part because of the large amount of personal investment he has made into his campaign.
He also has an advantage in primary voting because he controls county lines in two-thirds of the state’s 21 counties.
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New Jersey has long allowed counties to print ballots that include powerful partisans, and candidates are widely seen as helping the establishment. Kim sued in federal court to overturn the county lines for the Democratic primary. However, the Republican county remained the same.
“New Jersey is made up of thousands of small business people. We’re going to reach out to them very quickly and our Name ID will go up very quickly,” Bashaw said. .
“I’m drinking six cups of coffee a day, I’m going to every county in the state to speak,” Bashaw said, pointing to his busy schedule on the campaign trail leading up to the primary. “I’ve covered quite a distance,” he said.
Former President Donald Trump greets attendees at a campaign event in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, Saturday, April 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti) (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)
Asked about former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, Bashaw told Fox News, “I fully support this ticket.”
It’s been 36 years since Republicans carried New Jersey in the White House race, but President Trump plans to suspend campaigning in the state next month.
“Donald Trump thinks New Jersey is an influence. I agree with him. I believe Trump can turn New Jersey from blue to red. I believe we can turn the Senate seat from blue to red,” Bashaw said.
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“We have a huge opportunity to draw large numbers of independent voters in New Jersey into the Republican tent,” he argued, “and we intend to draw those independent voters our way this fall.”
The National Republican Party has not made any investments in Senate races in the Garden State so far.
But Mike Berg, director of communications for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said, “We’re keeping a close eye on New Jersey.”
Asked about the contest, a national Democratic Senate campaign aide told Fox News, “Democrats have won every New Jersey Senate race since 1978, and 2024 will be no different.” .
Real estate developer and hotelier Curtis Bashaw, Republican candidate for New Jersey State Senate, stands in front of the historic Congress Hall Hotel in Ridgewood, New Jersey, on April 17, 2024. (Curtis Bashaw campaign)
In his interview, Mr. Bashaw focused on several important issues, including crime.
“New Jerseyans do not feel safe or secure in their homes,” he asserted.
On immigration and border security, another key issue Republicans are focusing on, he charged that New Jersey is “now a border state. We have illegal immigrants coming into all of our counties.”
“Woke ideology has permeated our culture, and now in our state schools are keeping very personal decisions in the dark from parents,” he said, defending parents’ rights in public education. did.
On the abortion issue that Democrats are focusing on, Bashaw said he was concerned about the Supreme Court’s conservative majority’s landmark decision two years ago that overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that had legalized abortion nationwide for half a century. He pointed out the hit verdict.
“I believe Mr. Dobbs’ decision was the right one,” Bashaw said.
But he added: “We do not support a proposed federal ban,” as supported by some in the party.
The Dobbs decision moved the fight over abortion back to the states, making abortion legal at all stages of pregnancy in New Jersey.
“New Jersey made the decision,” Bashaw said, accusing Democrats of being extremists on this issue and passing a bill that would allow abortion up to the day of birth.
Get the latest on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more with Fox News Digital’s Election Hub.
