Donald Trump’s endorsement arrived far too late in the N.J. GOP U.S. Senate primary to make much of a difference, Save Jerseyans, but the Media wants to make Mendham Mayor Christine Serrano-Glassner’s loss to Cape May hotelier Curtis Bashaw about Trump. Apparently so does long-time GOP operative and confirmed Trump critic Mike DuHaime, a close political ally of Chris Christie and Jon Bramnick and a senior figure on Bashaw’s campaign.
“It’s no small feat to beat Trump’s endorsement in a primary,” DuHaime, the architect of the RNC’s voter outreach program in the Bush era, posted on X the day following the primary. “Seemingly every national Trump surrogate endorsed Curtis’s opponent, but Bashaw’s in-state support overcame it.”
DuHaime’s pronouncement – which may be aimed at the less-Trumpy-than-the-party-as-a-whole donor class – elicited a decidedly angry response from Mark Serrano, a Trump World operative who undoubtedly played a key role in his sister receiving the former president’s formal endorsement at last month’s Wildwood rally.
“This pantywaist “won” because the party bosses put their thumb on the scale for a never-Trumper like they always do,” responded Serrano, quoting DuHaime’s post. “Mark this down: he will lose massively in November because #MAGA will never vote for him –– they know he would stab @realdonaldtrump in the back at every turn.”
This pantywaist “won” because the party bosses put their thumb on the scale for a never-Trumper like they always do
Mark this down: he will lose massively in November because #MAGA will never vote for him –– they know he would stab @realdonaldtrump in the back at every turn https://t.co/5Bg9qhPqyL
— Mark Serrano (@MarkVSerrano) June 7, 2024
President Trump is unambiguously popular with the GOP base including in the Garden State.
Ultimately, Bashaw – like any statewide Republican candidate running in a state with a 900,000+ Democrat voter registration advantage – will need to appeal to non-Republicans voters but also keep the Republican base united and motivated. Alienating Trump voters isn’t an option since Republican candidates already face daunting math.
Trump lost New Jersey by double digits in both 2016 and 2020, but a recent poll found him within single digits for a 2024 Biden rematch.
Bashaw did endorse President Trump in the primary phase of the race despite not receiving his endorsement. A prolific resort developer and successful real estate businessman based at the Jersey Shore, he’ll will face off with Democrat Congressman Andy Kim and twice-indicted incumbent Bob Menendez (now running as an independent) in November’s general election.
