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Brian Lehrer: It's Brian Lehrer on WNYC. It's primary election season in New Jersey. Early voting is underway. Primary day itself is next Tuesday. The marquee races are the Democratic and Republican primaries for US Senate, with Democrat Bob Menendez now on trial himself for alleged corruption and not running for renomination by his party. As we cover these primaries on this station, many of you know we had a three-candidate Democratic primary debate moderated by our own Morning Edition host, Michael Hill. We've invited the two main republican candidates to appear on this show, either for a debate or for individual interviews. One candidate accepted for an interview. One did not.

That's Christine Serrano Glassner, currently the Mayor of Mendham. With me now is Curtis Bashaw, founder and managing partner of Cape Resorts, a collection of hotels in the Cape May area. Mr, Bashaw, thanks for coming on. Welcome to WNYC.

Curtis Bashaw: Thank you, Brian, very much. Great to be here today.

Brian Lehrer: Listeners, we can take a few calls or texts with candidate questions for Curtis Bashaw, running in the Republican US Senate primary in New Jersey. First priority will be for New Jersey Republicans with questions relevant to the Republican primary, not Democrats who want to challenge him on issues between the party. Listeners, I'm sure you get it. The context here is a Republican primary. We will invite the winners back for a different kind of conversation between the parties in the fall. With any questions relevant to clarifying the candidate's position or qualifications, in this context.

The primary election between Republicans, 212-433-WNYC. 212-433-9692. Call or text 212-433-9692. Mr. Bashaw, I don't see any political or public affairs experience on your LinkedIn. Just business experience. Correct me if I'm missing something, but why do you want to be in the United States Senate, and what makes you qualified?

Curtis Bashaw: Well, I think running a business for 35 years is a great qualification, especially in a time where our Congress is struggling to get things done. I'm a political outsider. I grew a company from 25 employees to over a thousand over 35 years, making a payroll every two weeks, bringing people together to get things done. We're proud of that track record and think that New Jerseyans are very desirous of political outsiders and business people to go to Washington to break the morass. I did take a gubernatorial appointee in 2004 and 2005 and run a very large state agency in New Jersey called the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.

It took casino gaming taxes and redeployed them in economic development projects all over the state. It was a fantastic experience and showed me how New Jersey politics works and how the state government works. In addition, I served on the Board of Stockton College, and grew it into Stockton University, a 12-year stint where I was chairman for four. We grew that school from 2,000 commuter students to 8,000 residential students. Very proud of that work in the public sector.

Brian Lehrer: Your opponent, Ms. Glassner, who is the Mayor of Mendham, has the endorsement of Donald Trump. For some voters, that may be a plus. For others, it might be a minus. Did you seek the former president's endorsement, and do you consider yourself a Trump supporter?

Curtis Bashaw: Well, Mrs. Glassner's husband works for Donald Trump for 11 years, and I do think that he endorsed his colleague's wife very much at the last minute. I understand loyalty to employees. It doesn't change my view in any way that I do believe Donald Trump should beat Joe Biden this fall, and that's the best choice for our country in this race. It also doesn't dissuade me that I'm the best candidate to win this Senate seat in November. I know that Andy Kim would much rather run against my opponent. We've built a statewide campaign and received the endorsement of thousands and thousands of grassroots New Jerseyans through a process where we obtained endorsements from 14 counties in our state.

I will be on the ballot with Donald Trump, yes.

Brian Lehrer: If you win the primary, yes. You will be supporting Donald Trump against Joe Biden. You made that clear just now, correct?

Curtis Bashaw: Yes, that's correct.

Brian Lehrer: I read in the New Jersey Globe that in the 2016 presidential election, you gave money to the Libertarian Party candidate, Gary Johnson. In this primary election cycle, early on, you donated to Chris Christie, who was, of course, the candidate leveling the harshest criticisms of Trump. Are both those donations reported accurately?

Curtis Bashaw: We've given hundreds of thousands of dollars throughout our business career to Republicans and Democrats. The Republicans outnumber the Democrats four to one. Chris Christie was the last person to win a statewide Republican race in our state, and I had been a supporter of his from the very beginning of his career. As a businessman, I've given contributions to all kinds of people in New Jersey, just as Donald Trump did with Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer. We voted for President Trump in both 2016 and 2020 because we felt that he was the best choice to lead our country in both those cycles, and we intend to vote for him in 2024.

Brian Lehrer: Did you also give to Trump in 2016 or just to Gary Johnson, the Libertarian, in the general election?

Curtis Bashaw: I believe I just gave to Gary Johnson in that cycle.

Brian Lehrer: How come?

Curtis Bashaw: My family, I'm a Libertarian freedom guy in many, many ways. I like less government, I think, equals more freedom. I believe that the values of leaving decision-making authority to the people is important, especially in our small businesses. I come up as a small businessman and see these one-size-fits-all regulations put on businesses by people that are academics or outside politics. I'm an advocate supporter of small business being unshackled from too much regulation so that they can help grow our economy. These people are on the front lines of our economy. They're the backbones of many of our communities, and so I tend to prefer less regulation and less government.

I think that leads to more freedom and more prosperity.

Brian Lehrer: Listener writes in a question. "Do you believe that Donald Trump won the 2020 election?"

Curtis Bashaw: I believe that Joe Biden won the 2020 election, and that it was a process that's continued, and he is our president. I believe that there's an election right now. Donald Trump's the head of the Republican ticket, and I believe election integrity is important to all voters, and that we need to make sure that we've got our poll watchers out there, that both parties are doing their duty, their civic duty, to make sure we have free and fair elections.

Brian Lehrer: Another listener writes, "Running a business is an executive role, as is running a casino authority. Senate is a legislative role, where one must collaborate to reach a consensus. How does your business experience, where you're the decision maker, translate to being a good candidate for consensus building when you have 1/535th decision-making authority," as that listener obviously knows the number of senators, plus House of Representatives members. Interesting question. What would you say to that listener?

Curtis Bashaw: This is a great question because I run a business. I also have been a developer. I took an abandoned 200-year-old hotel in the heart of Cape May, New Jersey, and got it renovated. That happened because there were numerous constituencies. The preservation community wanted it to be not a jot or a tittle change. The environmental community, this was a beachfront property. The construction official had their needs, the fire officials, the consumers, the lenders. I had to bring people together from all different constituents to get that deal done and that project closed.

It took seven years, and we did it, and it has been the economic engine in our community. It was a win-win. We restored a landmark. We made it useful. We've created thousands of jobs and we've given a place for consumers to come make memories and enjoy their vacations. It's the economic engine of our town. That happened not because I just gave an order as an executive. That happened because I worked with a whole bunch of constituents to get them to see a common vision. I believe that experience will make me a fantastic legislator in Washington and in the Senate to bring people together to get things done.

Brian Lehrer: Listeners, if you just joining us our guest is Curtis Bashaw. He's running in the Republican primary for US Senate against Christine Serrano Glassner, the Mayor of Mendham. She has the endorsement of Donald Trump. As we've been discussing, Mr. Bashaw is said to have the money advantage, and he also has the ballot line advantage without going over that whole county line system again. New Jersey has the ballot line system in a number of counties.

Of course, this election is underway with early voting and the primary day is Tuesday. The winner will be facing whatever Democrat emerges from that primary to replace Robert Menendez. You're here today by yourself because the Glassner campaign did not respond to our invitations. I read that you backed out of a debate with her that you had initially accepted for early April. The accusation of your critics is that you didn't want to be pressed to reveal policy positions that might be more moderate or centrist than Mayor Glassner's.

What's your version of why you backed out of that debate?

Curtis Bashaw: First of all, our opponent has been focused on one issue and one issue only. We've been addressing all the issues. We are the only campaign that went to all 21 of our counties and have talked to thousands of voters at hundreds and hundreds of events. When Tammy Murphy dropped out of the race against Andy Kim, it was a seismic change in the dynamics of the New Jersey primary.

The Democrats have the discipline and consolidated instantly to focus on their general election. I believe we had finished our convention process in New Jersey. We had won 14 of 19 conventions. We were the clear front-runner. After Tammy Murphy dropped out of the race, our second main opponent, Alex Zdan, also dropped out and called for unity and said, "We need to unite so that we can focus on the general election and take back the seat for the first time in 52 years."

All three of us, Mrs. Glassner, Alex Zdan, and myself in all those primary conventions, said we believed in party unity from the top of the ticket to the bottom. Christine didn't want to. We chose not to debate because our focus was on uniting the Republicans around a single candidate and focusing on getting ready for this general election where we have an opportunity to take back the Senate seat.

Brian Lehrer: Let me follow up on that, because as it might apply to any candidate in any party in any race, isn't a debate a televised or broadcast debate, very mainstream fair play in the interest of the voters to hear the candidates side by side and that that doesn't destroy party unity too much to run in the general election?

Curtis Bashaw: I think given our opponent's attacks on us for the four months leading up to that and given the status of the race, we made that decision. We look forward to debating, Andy Kim. We've answered question and answers at every single event we've been to on hundreds of issues in all 21 counties of this state. We have been much more accessible as a candidate to both the media and the voters all the way through this primary. We are transparent and open and happy to discuss any issues and we've been doing so.

Brian Lehrer: To the alleged reason that you backed out of the debate alleged by her and your critics, is there a centrist or moderate rationale for your candidacy that you would embrace? No Republican is one for US Senate from New Jersey in what, 50 years? Some analysts say it's because the nominees have tended to be too far to the right for this moderate state. Do you make a case that you want our listeners to hear that you could win more swing voters than your opponent and that's a specific reason to vote for you in the primary?

Curtis Bashaw: I know that we're the only campaign that can beat Andy Kim this fall, and we know that he would much rather run against our opponent. We believe that our story is a political outsider of someone who signed the front side of a paycheck for 35 years. Who's been in the economy creating jobs, getting things done, is appealing to all voters. This is New Jersey. There are two and a half million unaffiliated voters. There's two and a half million Democrats. I'm Curtis Bashaw, Republican, and I'm for Jersey First. New Jersey is 49th in what it gets back from the federal government [unintelligible 00:14:46]

Brian Lehrer: I am asking you how you would characterize your own position on the left-right spectrum and whether you would say you are more moderate than your opponent in this primary.

Curtis Bashaw: I think we've been trying to pigeonhole people into these subcategories and ideologies. I'm a different candidate. I'm Curtis Bashaw. I'm a lifelong Republican. I've voted Republican since 1980 when I voted for Ronald Reagan. I'm a small business guy that grew my business. I'm married to a man. I love gardening. There's all kinds of things about Curtis, and I think part of the problem with our politics is we keep putting ourselves into boxes.

Well, if you're this, you can't be that. I'm a conservative. I believe in free enterprise. I believe in free speech. I believe in our freedoms, and I think that New Jerseyans want common-sense solutions. I think it's not your grandmother's Democratic Party anymore. It's pretty radicalized in many, many instances. Both our parties have extreme elements, and people are looking for people to bring common-sense solutions to the kitchen table issues that are paramount to them.

Groceries cost a lot. Inflation hurts. We need more jobs in New Jersey. Housing's really, really expensive and hard to build and hard to find. We have basic issues that our voters want to deal with. They want to let the air out of the acrimony in our politics and bring things home to make our lives nicer so we can have domestic tranquility and pursue our happiness. This open border is a problem. The lack of support for law enforcement is a problem. People aren't feeling safe and secure in their communities.

Three of our boardwalks had unrest because there's not consequences for petty crime in the New World Order of how our rules are enforced with our people. People want to get back to some basics, and I think someone like me who's outside of politics, who's not an insider. Our opponent worked for an Obamacare support organization. She's been at the SBA. She's been at the government her whole career so is Andy Kim. Andy Kim's never made a payroll for himself. He's always been on the government payroll. We're different. We're from the outside. We're going to go to Washington and get things done for all New Jerseyans, and that's the distinguishing factor for me.

Brian Lehrer: Another few minutes with Curtis Bashaw, a candidate in the Republican US Senate primary right now. We also invited his opponent in that primary, Mayor Glassner of Mendham. We did not hear back from them. On what's generally considered the left-right scale, listener asks, "Please ask him his views on abortion rights." Straightforward question. What would you say? Obviously a big issue this year.

Curtis Bashaw: I believe that abortion should be safe, legal, and rare. I believe that the Dopp's decision rightly remanded it back to the States. Democracy is working itself. New Jersey has decided its view. I believe that the government shouldn't be in our homes telling us what to do on some of these very personal decisions. I believe those are the choices that should be left up to the families and the people involved.

Brian Lehrer: I read that you support the Dopp's decision but would not vote for any abortion restrictions at the federal level. Do I have both those things right?

Curtis Bashaw: Yes. Look, we had a federal law for 52 years. It created conflict for 50 years, and I believe I wouldn't support a federal ban.

Brian Lehrer: I can't find, to be perfectly honest, a Glassner position on federal restrictions. It doesn't mean she doesn't have one, but it's not on her website one way or another. I couldn't find press coverage of her on that, so that's my failing. Do you say she is any different from you on that issue?

Curtis Bashaw: I haven't heard a clear position from her either, so I'm not going to opine for her.

Brian Lehrer: All right. Also on what might be considered the culture war track, I read that you are openly gay and you support the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage being a constitutional right. Do I have that right?

Curtis Bashaw: Yes, I am married to my husband, and I feel secure in that status that we have.

Brian Lehrer: On the LGBTQ track, where are you on the rights of parents, and I know this question can be framed in various ways. I'll frame it this way, on the rights of parents and their trans-identifying teenage children to make decisions about gender-affirming care without government prohibition on those parents' rights. Where are you on that spectrum?

Curtis Bashaw: I think that the sanctity of the home and domestic tranquility are bedrock values of our country, and I think that families need to be free to make those decisions in their own way. I do think that schools should not be keeping secrets from parents about their children. I think that, again, the sanctity of the home and domestic tranquility should allow parents to be the primary people involved in these very sensitive, personal, and important decisions.

Brian Lehrer: If I can just clarify and then I'll let you finish, I think I hear you saying on the controversy of whether schools should be required to inform parents that their children are changing their gender identity expression in school, yes, they should be required to inform the parents, but on the question of gender-affirming care, that's up to the families. Am I hearing you right?

Curtis Bashaw: Yes, you're hearing me correctly.

Brian Lehrer: Okay. Next issue, as we just try to clarify as many issues as we can, your position on them for the voters. Do you believe climate change is real and federal policy is needed to protect New Jersey from its effects?

Curtis Bashaw: I do. I believe that the climate has been changing from millennia and there are changes now that we've learned about that are potentially serious impacts to human life on the planet. I think that we need policy to help us as a world protect our climate. I think the agendas that have been put forth in many instances are much more broad and politicized and I think that we need to let these technologies work themselves out.

I think we need to have our energy independence as a country so that we are strong at home and we need to marshal the resources from that energy independence into being a leader in technological revolutions for real solutions for America and the world.

Brian Lehrer: Do you oppose--

Curtis Bashaw: Some of these technologies-- go ahead.

Brian Lehrer: Let me jump. I'm jumping just because we have two minutes left before I know you have to go. Do you therefore oppose Donald Trump when he says one of the two actions he would take on day one as president is drill, drill, drill?

Curtis Bashaw: I believe that we should have energy independence and I believe that we can use that independence. I wouldn't have done what the Biden administration did to close down opportunities for us to be energy-independent. It's almost like cutting off our nose despite our face. The fact is it's helped Putin with higher oil prices and we could have revenues and tax revenues from that to help us really work as a country on a real solution for this. We need to be leading in the technology of the solution. Many of these things are not more primitive technologies and I think that we need to balance this. We decided that--

Brian Lehrer: Do I hear, again, just to clarify and we have one minute left and I'll give you a chance to say anything at the end. You're saying you do support more drilling than Biden does but you also with the risks to the climate that entails and you think you can do that while still developing the technology for next generation fuels.

Curtis Bashaw: A revolutionary solution that moves us forward in a transformative manner. Yes, that is correct.

Brian Lehrer: Do you want to say a 30-second closing statement anything of your choice open mic?

Brian Lehrer: I appreciate the interview very much. I appreciate the questions and giving you the answers. As I said June 4th is our primary. I think between the choices in the primary election I am the only candidate that can win this statewide race and flip this Democratic seat. We've built a fantastic organization statewide. We've talked to thousands and thousands of grassroots New Jerseyans.

We feel their support. Early voting is happening now in New Jersey. You can vote today, tomorrow, Saturday, or Sunday and of course, traditionally on Tuesday, it's election day. Vote for Curtis Bashaw. We appreciate support and look forward to convening hopefully in the general election for another conversation.

Brian Lehrer: Curtis Bashaw running in the Republican US Senate primary in New Jersey. We also invited the other leading candidate in that primary, Mendham Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner, but her campaign did not accept. Thank you for coming on. If you win the primary we'll invite you back and we'll ask some different questions in the context of a general election against the Democrats. Thanks for answering questions that we hope are relevant to the primary election, the choices that registered Republicans have to make right now.

Curtis Bashaw: I appreciate the interview. Have a great day. Thank you.

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