A political newcomer and the grandmother of a U.S. Marine will launch her bid for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate on Thursday evening.
Shirley Maia-Cusick, an immigration consultant from Bethlehem Township, wants to take on incumbent Bob Menendez in 2024.
Gloucester County GOP Chair Jacci Vigilante, Cape May GOP Vice Chair Melanie Colette, and Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry will be on hand for her kickoff, along with two 2022 congressional candidates, Darius Mayfield and Billy Prempeh.
The 62-year-old Maia-Cusick earned a law degree in Brazil before immigrating to the U.S. in the 1990s.
“New Jersey gave me everything,” she said. “I want my America back.”
Maia-Cusick has raised $194,927 so far this year — $138,309 of it as a personal loan to her campaign – and has $23,236 cash-on-hand.
Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was re-elected in 2018 by a 54%-43% margin against Republican Bob Hugin, who spent over $36 million to flip the seat.
Two other Republicans are seeking the U.S. Senate nomination: Daniel Cruz, a former member of the Andover Regional School District Board of Education; and perennial candidate Gregg Mele.
Cruz challenged State Sen. Steve Oroho in the 2021 GOP primary and won 17% of the vote. Mele lost independent bids for Congress in 2018 – he received less than 1% as the Freedom candidate in New Jersey’s 7th district, mayor of Bridgewater in 2019, and took about one-third of one percent as the Libertarian candidate for governor in 2021. He sought the Republican nomination for Congress in the 6th district in 2022, but was tossed off the ballot after being unable to secure 200 valid signatures on his nominating petition.