New Republican enters U.S. Senate race in N.J.

Small business owner Michael Estrada has told Republican leaders that he plans to seek the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in 2024.

“I’m ready to fight for my family, community, state, and push our nation toward the goals we all share,” Estrada said.  “As a nation, we’ve focused for too long on fighting and blaming each other; it’s time to work together and focus on solutions we can all get behind.”

This is Estrada’s second bid for public office.  In 2017, he ran as an independent candidate for State Assembly in the 23rd district against incumbents John DiMaio (R-Hackettstown) and Erik Peterson (R-Franklin).  The High Bridge resident finished last in a field of six candidates with 1% of the vote.

The seat is currently held by three-term Democrat Bob Menendez, who is now under indictment for bribery, conspiracy, and illegally serving as an unregistered agent of the Egyptian government while serving as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Menendez has not said if he will seek re-election.  Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown), First Lady Tammy Murphy, and former Newark school board member Lawrence Hamm are seeking the Democratic nomination.

The Republican front-runner is Mendham Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner.  Two others are seeking the 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 and mayor of Bridgewater in 2019. He 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.

Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate race in New Jersey since 1972, when Clifford Case was re-elected to a fourth term.  Since that time, 48 other states have elected a Republican U.S. Senator; only Hawaii has gone longer.