Another blow to the former president, Serrano Glassner, the MAGA candidate sponsored by Trump, is expected to lose the GOP primary in the fight for the New Jersey Senate seat, according to a forecast by the Associated Press.
It is anticipated that real estate developer Curtis Bashaw will win the nomination, which means he will challenge Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, who is accused of bribery and other violations and is the target of a federal corruption prosecution.
Following the indictment against him and several calls for his resignation inside his party, the incumbent decided not to run for the Democratic nomination. However, on Monday, he formally announced his independent candidacy for the position. He refutes every accusation of misconduct.
Despite the fact that no Republican has been elected to the Senate from New Jersey in more than 50 years, Republicans are hoping Menendez’s candidacy could split the vote in the firmly blue state and increase competition for the seat.
With a resounding win on Tuesday, Rep. Andy Kim received the Democratic nomination to run for the seat.
In the GOP contest as of Wednesday morning, Bashaw had 45% of the vote, while Glasser had 38%. Two other contenders, US Navy veteran Albert Harshaw and former Tabernacle Committee member Justin Murphy, garnered 11% and 5% of the vote, respectively.
Bashaw secured the county line in most of the state’s counties, although Glassner got the backing of Donald Trump and the majority of the state’s county Republican parties, which are especially powerful in New Jersey.
The state has employed the “county line” method of ballot organization for many years, giving candidates who obtain the endorsement of a county the best possible placement on the ballot.
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This indicates that Bashaw was in the same column as Trump with the preferred ballot spot.
Following Trump’s support, a plethora of other MAGA-affiliated individuals from across the nation—including multiple sitting senators—added their names to Serrano Glassner’s endorsement roster.
But in the end, Glassner was unable to get the nomination.
After loosing Glassner stated that, “I want to thank all those New Jerseyans who voted for me and supported me throughout this primary campaign. While we did not achieve the outcome we had sought, I am grateful to those who joined me on this journey and who are ready for commonsense solutions to save America. I look forward to supporting President Trump and America First candidates in the election this November and ensuring that we elect officials with integrity who stand for the hard-working men and women of New Jersey.”
Donald Trump, who last week became the first former US president to be criminally convicted in his hush money trial, is dealt yet another blow by the main outcome.
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Some electoral analysts had questioned if Republican voters would grow weary of Trump’s contentious campaign amid his conviction.
In other Republican primary contests, the former president has already experienced unanticipated losses. In Indiana, for example, Nikki Haley secured almost 20 percent of the vote, even though she had already withdrew from the contest under intense media attention.
