Before he was found guilty on 34 felony counts in a Manhattan courtroom last week, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee and former president Donald Trump said at a campaign rally in Wildwood, New Jersey in May that on Election Day, “We’re going to win New Jersey.”
[Note: It’s been 36 years since a majority in New Jersey voted for a Republican president — for George H.W. Bush in 1988.]
At the rally, Trump also announced his endorsement of Christine Glassner who was running for indicted Democratic Senator Bob Menendez‘s seat and lost the GOP primary on Tuesday to Curtis Bashaw. Bashaw has been endorsed by former NJ Governor and former 2024 presidential candidate Chris Christie, an outspoken critic of Trump.
Thank you! @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/p3ka51MN8b
— Christine Serrano Glassner for U.S. Senate (@christine4nj) May 12, 2024
(Bashaw, a Cape May real estate developer and hotelier, would become New Jersey’s first openly gay U.S. Senator if he wins.)
Glassner, the mayor of Mendham, New Jersey (population 4,981), is married to Michael Glassner, former Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Campaign Manager for Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. The couple runs the consulting firm C&M Transcontinental, which (in addition to Trump campaigns) has worked with Senator John McCain‘s 2008 presidential campaign and Sarah Palin‘s PAC, SarahPAC.
Remember a few weeks ago when MAGA was telling everyone Trump would win New Jersey because he had a rally there?
Yeah, that was stupid.
With 57% of the primary vote in, Trump has 223K votes in his race.
Biden has 366k.
Everyone can cross NJ off the map I think. pic.twitter.com/QvvfL7AeK0
— Peter Henlein (@SwissWatchGuy) June 5, 2024
Political pundit Peter Henlein responded to the GOP primary results: “Remember a few weeks ago when MAGA was telling everyone Trump would win New Jersey because he had a rally there? Yeah, that was stupid.”
Note: Bashaw now faces Democratic nominee, U.S. Representative Andy Kim, who — while working at the U.S. State Department — served in Afghanistan as a civilian adviser to Generals David Petraeus and John R. Allen before working as a national security adviser under President Barack Obama. Menendez says he is also running to keep his seat, but as an Independent.