A huge contingent of Republican party leaders and elected officials in Cape May County have endorsed real estate developer Curtis Bashaw in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate, giving the Cape May City resident an early political base in New Jersey’s southernmost county.
“Curtis is a good man, a friend and a patriot,” Cape May GOP Chairman Michael Donohue said in a statement. “He represents our best hope to be competitive against Tammy Murphy or some other radical Democrat this fall. Dozens of CapeGOP leaders and elected officials will be joining the campaign to elect Curtis Bashaw to the United States Senate.”
In addition to Donohue, Bashaw was also endorsed by Assemblymen Antwan McClellan (R-Ocean City) and Erik Simonsen (R-Lower); Cape May County Commissioners Len Desiderio (R-Sea Isle City) and Bobby Barr (R-Ocean City); the county’s two Republican state committeemembers; the mayors of Lower Township, Ocean City, Dennis, North Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, Woodbine, Sea Isle City, and Avalon; and municipal Republican chairs in nine of the county’s 16 municipalities.
The county’s state senator, Mike Testa (R-Vineland), previously endorsed Bashaw when he launched his campaign and will serve as Bashaw’s campaign chairman. Testa is also the chair of the Cumberland County GOP, meaning Bashaw starts out as the favorite for the party line in two counties that, combined, account for a little under 5% of the statewide Republican primary electorate.
Bashaw’s main primary rival, Mendham Borough Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner, has been assembling a much more North Jersey-focused coalition, winning support from Republicans in her native Morris County as well as some in Union and Hudson Counties. One other notable candidate, former Tabernacle Committeeman Justin Murphy, is also running, and former News12 reporter Alex Zdan is strongly considering a bid as well.
Serrano Glassner, who has close ties to the orbit of former President Donald Trump, has run a conservative campaign that’s accused Bashaw of being insufficiently loyal to Trump and the Republican Party. But in his endorsement today, Donoghue laid out the case for Bashaw: he may have a better shot at winning in Democratic-leaning New Jersey.
“We are joining right now with like-minded Republicans throughout New Jersey who want us to have a candidate who can actually compete in the general election and win it for Republicans for the first time in more than fifty years,” Donoghue said. “ We know the right candidate can make this happen, and we know that candidate is Curtis Bashaw.”
See here for a full list of endorsements in New Jersey’s 2024 congressional contests.