Save Jersey has confirmed from a source close to the candidate that Alex Zdan is ending his bid for U.S. Senate.
The NJ Globe is also reporting that Zdan’s announcement will come Monday.
News of the former News12 journalist’s departure from the GOP primary race came on the same day that N.J. First Lady Tammy Murphy abruptly ended her own campaign for Bob Menendez’s seat which made Congressman Andy Kim of NJ-03 the presumptive Democrat nominee.
Zdan, a charismatic millennial who distinguished himself with tough questioning of the Murphy Administration during the Covid-19 pandemic, managed to win county lines in Passaic and Monmouth counties with few resources at his disposal. His campaign had nevertheless gotten a very late start in the cycle and ultimately failed to capitalize on those wins with additional lines or significant fundraising. A subsequent revelation concerning a past DWI appeared to further stymie Zdan’s insurgent campaign.
The remaining Republicans with a viable path to the Republican nomination are Cape May developer Curtis Bashaw and Mendham Mayor Christine Glassner; the pair are scheduled to meet at a Save Jersey co-hosted debate on April 3rd.
