Albert Harshaw, a resident of New Jersey’s Pemberton Township and until recently a Republican candidate for President of the United States, has decided to set his sights lower and run for a seat in the United States Senate instead.
According to his campaign website, Harshaw is a U.S. Navy veteran who has since owned several businesses, apparently including a tree and landscape business in Jackson Township. He does not seem to have ever run for office before announcing his presidential campaign last summer.
“My Family Has Had A Saying When Uncle Sam Comes Calling, You Get A Going,” Harshaw wrote on his presidential campaign website. “And It Seems That I Have Always Been Running Into Burning Buildings, To Save What And Who We Can. Now It Seems, That Once Again, Our Great Nation, Uncle Sam, These United States Of America, Calls Once Again For Service – To Service.”
Unsurprisingly, Harshaw’s presidential campaign – which pit him against a former president, several sitting governors, a sitting U.S. Senator, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie – did not gain any traction.
It’s unlikely his Senate campaign will fare much better; Mendham Borough Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner is currently the frontrunner for the GOP nomination, with minor candidates Dan Cruz and Gregg Mele running as well. Several other notable contenders, including former News12 reporter Alex Zdan, developer Curtis Bashaw, and Melinda Ciattarelli, are also considering campaigns.
Harshaw isn’t the first New Jerseyan to ditch a quixotic presidential bid this cycle. Hirsh Singh, a once-respected candidate who has lost five races in the last seven years, spent several months last year running for president before ultimately dropping out in October, concluding that his campaign faced too much opposition from “some elements of the establishment.”