Remarks of Curtis Bashaw, New Jersey Republican Candidate for United States Senate 

June 4, 2024

So many said it couldn’t be done, but we did it! They said we couldn’t win this primary against the odds, against a very powerful endorsement, but we did it, and we did it together!

I am so proud of what we accomplished tonight. Instead of tearing people down, we are building something bigger. We are building a bigger, better Republican Party together. A party of people who believe in greater freedom and more opportunities.

And we’re bringing people together to GET THINGS DONE for all of New Jersey.

I love that we are here at Congress Hall tonight.  When I set out to restore this historic hotel, they told me it couldn’t be done.  They said that it was too old, and it was falling apart.  Build something new.  There are greener pastures.

I knew what Congress Hall had been in its glory and believed in what it could be again. And that vision kept me going.  And I fought for it.  And it worked, becoming an engine for the revival and expansion of our Cape May economy.    I believe in building vibrant communities and economies and creating jobs.

Before I entered this race, they told me not to run, they said it couldn’t be done. Find something else to do, Curtis, New Jersey is a Democratic state in a presidential year.  But I don’t believe that’s true.

I believe in New Jersey, I believe in its people, and I believe in freedom. And that’s why I believe it’s time for change.

It’s time for a political outsider who can deliver results. We can’t keep sending the same old politicians to Washington and expect the same unacceptable results.

And New Jersey families deserve better than this one-party Democratic monopoly that has represented them for far too long in Washington DC.

So tonight, is the start of real change.  Because our state is at a crossroads.

We can continue down the same old road, with the same entrenched DC politicians like Andy Kim and Bob Menendez, or we can go down a different path.

Oh, and in case you didn’t hear, I’m running not against not one, but TWO machine Democrats this November.

People will tell you that New Jersey is a blue state and that it’s a presidential year, and that it’s impossible for a Republican to win.  But we reject that. We tell them NO!

Do you know what Muhammed Ali, my one-time New Jersey neighbor, said about the word impossible?

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small people who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare.

We will fight for this senate seat and take it back starting with each and every one of you.

Because our issues are New Jersey’s issues.

ALL New Jersey families care about the economy

We ALL care about better jobs

And we ALL want the chance at the American dream.

We all deserve to be safe in our neighborhoods

On our boardwalks, and in our schools.

ALL of our families deserve to make the decisions in our homes, and NOT the government.

And that’s what we’re fighting for this November. We’re fighting for real CHANGE.  The status quo is no longer acceptable in New Jersey.

And let me tell you now, and for everyone watching at home.

It’s time to educate voters about Andy Kim. Starting right now.

Andy Kim is no moderate.  He’s a Far-left DC insider who voted against the Anti-semitism Awareness Act.

He also voted against a bill called the “no pay day for hostage takers act” – a bill to keep us safe from KNOWN TERRORISTS entering our country.  He was only one of 34 members of Congress who voted against that bill!

Andy Kim cares more about standing with the ultra-left members of the Congressional Squad in support of Iranian terrorists than keeping New Jersey families safe.  Andy Kim does NOT represent our New Jersey values.

So we’re going to let New Jersey voters know what they’re getting with Andy Kim.  We are not going to let him tell us what our “fair share” of taxes should be – demeaning hard working small-business owners who are the backbone of our economy.   He’s never signed the front side of a paycheck, he’s never created one single job…he’s been a Democrat political insider who’s failed to deliver anything for New Jersey families but an extreme agenda.  He doesn’t get a promotion to the US Senate.

To my Democratic friends and neighbors.  It is time to stand up and be counted.

Our state’s Democratic elected officials have taken you for granted for 5 decades in this state.  And what have you gotten in return?

Higher taxes.  Unchecked illegal immigration.

More power in government, less power for people.

Education in the hands of bureaucrats instead of parents. Inflation. Crime.  All with no accountability. It is time for Democrats to join with Independents and Republicans to demand change.     We can make things here again and we can bring real jobs back to New Jersey. We can feel safe and secure in our communities and homes and build a life for our children and grandchildren right here in New jersey.

I know people will try to put me in a box – demagogue me because I am a Republican.  They’ll try to make me look like some kind of DC stereotype.

Good luck trying to label me.  I am Curtis Bashaw.  A life-long Republican.  I am gay. I have been with my husband for 20 years.  I am a small business person. I am for freedom and domestic tranquility in our homes.   I am pro-choice.  I am pro-parent.  I support law enforcement.  I support Israel. I support Ukraine but know that America needs to be strong at home to be able to help others and that means securing our border.

I am an entrepreneur who has helped thousands of employees feed their families and pay for their kids’ college tuition.  I believe in legal immigration.  I want us to make more stuff right here at home.  I believe that the government that governs least governs best.   That we should trust our citizens.   And that we are one Nation, Under God, with liberty and justice for all.

The DC establishment hasn’t seen anyone like me.

And I am ready to fight them for New Jersey.  Because I love New Jersey…And I LOVE this country.

Our mission starts today.  New Jersey and America are at a crossroads.  As we reach the 250th anniversary of our nation’s birth, let us remember how New Jersey played a central role in our great American revolution.

Our forefathers were told it was impossible to defeat the British monarchy.

But the New Jersey patriots fought the most battles of any American colony including the battles of Trenton, Princeton, and Monmouth.

New Jersey is at the crossroads of the change America needs.

So let us take inspiration from the battles of our forefathers.

We will take the battle to Andy Kim and the Democrats. From Sussex to Salem, from Hudson to Hunterdon, from Bergen to Burlington.

We will work together, and fight together to defeat the entrenched Democrat monopoly.  For all of New Jersey families, for our future generations, for America.

We will fight to make our neighborhoods safer, to make our economy stronger, to keep our families free.

The New Jersey Revolution starts tonight and it starts with all of us.

Real change starts here and now at Congress Hall.

Thank you for your support.  God Bless New Jersey.  And God Bless America!