NJ Republican Curtis Bashaw seeks to win Senate seat as 'political outsider'

NEW JERSEY (PIX11) – Republican Curtis Bashaw, a businessman and self-described “political outsider,” is seeking to win a U.S. Senate seat in New Jersey that’s been controlled by Democrats for decades.

Bashaw and Democratic candidate U.S. Rep. Andy Kim are vying for the seat formerly held by Bob Menendez, who resigned from the Senate on Aug. 20, about a month after he was convicted of federal bribery charges.

Bashaw, who grew up in Camden County, founded a hotel company that restores and operates resort properties in New Jersey and New York. He believes his experience outside of politics will help him win in a state where Democrats haven’t lost an election for Senate since 1972.

“People are ready for change, hungry for change,” Bashaw said Thursday during an interview with PIX11’s Dan Mannarino on New Voice for NJ: Race for U.S. Senate. “They want outsiders, business people, to go to Washington to get stuff done for them. They are tired of the D.C. insiders, the career politicians, those who have become self-dealing.”

Bashaw has said he’s a “fiscal conservative” and that his business background would help position him in handling economic issues as a lawmaker.

“The reason I got in this race is because I think we need more business people and outsiders in Washington,” Bashaw said. “We can’t just keep spending and expect to grow. I think we need to unshackle small business. We need to have fiscal discipline and not overspend, and that will help us grow back to prosperity.”

Bashaw said the federal government’s spending has led to inflation and made life harder for Americans.

“You can’t spend your way to prosperity, and we’ve been proving that. Inflation is killing New Jersey families. Things are unaffordable. Energy, food, housing, it’s a big issue in our state,” he said.

Bashaw is a ‘pro-choice’ Republican

Bashaw said he is “pro-choice” when it comes to abortion.

“I don’t think the government should be telling a woman what to do with her reproductive choices. I think that’s for her to decide with her conscience and her loved ones or the people that she confides in,” he said.

When asked whether or not he would vote to codify Roe v. Wade, Bashaw said it’s “reasonable for us to have a conversation about making sure that people’s rights are protected.”

Bashaw said he would not vote for an abortion ban but that “reasonable restrictions” on abortion “in a bipartisan way is something that’s worth considering.”

Why Bashaw, an LGBTQ community member, supports Trump

Bashaw is gay and lives with his husband in Cape May. Bashaw doesn’t share the same concerns as others do that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump would roll back LGBTQ rights if elected again.

“I’m far less worried about my rights being taken away by Donald Trump or the Republicans than I am about our businesses being crushed by the Democrats,” Bashaw said. “I’m a member of the LGBTQ+ community. I’m a strong advocate for freedom. I don’t want the government telling me what to do in my home.”

Bashaw said he will be voting for Trump in the upcoming presidential election.

“I’m voting for Donald Trump because I think his policies are the best thing for our country at this point in time,” he said.

November general election

New Jersey voters will head to the polls for the Nov. 5 general election to decide whether Bashaw or Kim will represent them in the Senate.

Kim, a native of southern New Jersey, is a three-term congressman who has represented the state’s 3rd Congressional District since 2019.

The son of Korean immigrants, Kim is the first Asian American representative from New Jersey.

Kim previously worked at the Pentagon and in Afghanistan as a civilian advisor to the military during the Obama administration.

Kim also sat down for a one-on-one interview with PIX11 on Thursday. Watch the full interview below.

Associated Press reporting contributed to this story.