Curtis Bashaw, a pro-choice and openly gay Republican, secured victory in the New Jersey Senate primary, beating the Trump-endorsed opponent. His win indicates a potential shift in the state’s political landscape and has sparked Republican hopes of capturing a Senate seat in New Jersey.
Curtis Bashaw, a pro-choice and openly gay Republican, won the primary for the U.S. Senate seat from New Jersey on June 7, 2024. Bashaw, a hotel developer, defeated Christine Serrano Glassner, the Trump-endorsed Mayor of Mendham, N.J. His win has sparked Republican optimism about capturing a Senate seat in a state that has not elected a GOP senator since 1972.
Bashaw will face Democrat Andy Kim, a current U.S. House member, and incumbent Senator Bob Menendez, who may run as an independent if acquitted of his federal bribery charges. Bashaw describes himself as a political outsider, advocating for freedom and change in New Jersey. He criticized both Kim and Menendez as “machine Democrats.”
This primary outcome could impact the Democrats’ 51-49 Senate majority. Bashaw’s nomination signals a potential shift in New Jersey’s traditionally Democratic voter base, although the state’s last Republican U.S. senator was Clifford Case, reelected in 1972.
