
(TheRedWire.com) – In New Jersey, an openly gay candidate could potentially be the first GOP Senator in the day since 1972. Curtis Bashaw, a hotel owner, had in June defeated Trump-endorsed candidate Christine Serrano Glassner in the GOP primary.
Glassner, who is the mayor of Mendham Borough, had failed to win the primary despite having the support of many high-profile Republican leaders including Trump, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Despite this, she had only managed to win 37 percent of the Republican vote, while Bashaw had won with 48 percent.
Sen. Bob Menendez is currently running for office as an Independent, following the recent cases that have emerged against him. This could potentially split the vote making it easier for the Republicans to win the Senate seat in a state that is considered to be deep blue.
A poll in April had given Rep. Andy Kim (D) the lead against Bashaw, with the results being 47 percent to 38 percent. However, when Menendez was added to the mix Bashaw’s support levels remained at 38 percent while support for Kim dropped to 44 percent.
Bashaw, much like the Republican Senate candidate in Maryland, is pro-choice and has not managed to easily win Trump’s endorsement. As the candidate has argued he understands why Trump is loyal to Glassner, who as he pointed out is the spouse of former Trump advisor Michael Glassner. As he argued he had not been daunted by Trump endorsing her, because of her husband’s work. He added that he too would have shown loyalty to a longtime employee.
Trump has not yet endorsed Bashaw.
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