Hotelier Curtis Bashaw will defeat Mendham Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner in the race for the Republican nod for U.S. Senate, the Associated Press projects.
Bashaw will face 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 for federal bribery charges, intends to seek reelection as an independent in November if he is acquitted.
Bashaw faces an uphill road to victory in November. Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate race in New Jersey since the state reelected Sen. Clifford Case in 1972.
In nominating Bashaw, New Jersey Republicans have eschewed former President Donald Trump’s pick for the seat. Trump in May endorsed Serrano Glassner, who is the wife of former Trump advisor Michael Glassner.
Republican voters’ decision to dismiss the Trump-endorsed candidate could prove vital 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 aid down-ballot Republicans in competitive races this year.
Menendez’s candidacy could also aid Bashaw. The senator remains widely known despite a broad loss of support following his indictment in September, and his presence on the ballot could be enough to turn a close contest in the Republican’s favor.
Though a federal judge barred the use of county lines in this year’s Democratic primaries, Republican primary ballots included a line in all but three counties — Sussex, Somerset, and Burlington.
The balloting practice, unique to New Jersey, groups candidates with a common slogan seeking separate offices in a single row or column on the ballot and has been found to give the candidates who receive it an advantage.
Bashaw, a real estate developer, emerged from party conventions with county lines in 12 counties, including Republican-rich Ocean County, the state’s single largest source of GOP primary votes.
Party support wasn’t Bashaw’s only advantage. He went into the final weeks of the race having outraised Serrano Glassner roughly 3-to-1, bringing in $1.4 million to her nearly $475,000.
A majority of both candidates’ fundraising came from their own pockets. Bashaw loaned his campaign $800,000 through mid-May, and Serrano Glassner loaned hers $300,000.
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