New Jersey

Meet Curtis Bashaw — the gay, pro-choice Republican running for Senate in NJ

Published

1 year ago

September 21, 2024

Meet Curtis Bashaw — the gay, pro-choice Republican running for Senate in NJ

A gay, pro-choice Republican is hoping voters who support Israel will send him to Congress in disgraced Sen. Bob Menendez’ former Senate seat.

Should Curtis Bashaw pull off the upset in November against Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, who has a history of anti-Israel positions and votes, he would become the first Republican since 1982 to hold the New Jersey seat.

“We’re going to have people from the Jewish community that aren’t going to vote for Donald Trump, that will vote for Curtis Bashaw because of Andy Kim’s stance on Israel,” Bashaw, 64, said.

In April, Kim, 42, called for an immediate ceasefire that would allow Hamas to remain in power.

A month later, Kim voted against the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which would have bolstered protections for Jewish college students. The bill passed the House overwhelmingly but has stalled in the Senate, where Leader Chuck Schumer has refused to hold a vote on it.

The hotelier expects to pick up Jewish Democrats in the state who wouldn’t normally back a Republican.

“Israel is the front line of a war on terror right now, and we need to make sure we stand with our ally and don’t negotiate with the terrorists there. Bob Menendez was stronger on Israel than Andy Kim. People are very concerned about [Kim’s] progressive agenda,” he said.

“I actually think there’s a real path to victory,” Bashaw told The Post during an interview this week. “New Jerseyans are craving change.”

In April, a Fairleigh Dickinson University survey had Bashaw nine points behind Kim, but by August Bashaw’s own internal surveys found him to be just five points off.

Bashaw, a hotel developer whose company restored and owns the historic Congress Hall in Cape May, called his opponent “further to the left than any Democratic Senate candidate we’ve ever had in our state’s history.

“He has only worked for the federal government. He’s a bureaucrat and an academic liberal that wants to tell us what to do, but he has no experience making an economy grow,” Bashaw said.

Bashaw also cites the ongoing border crisis as an issue which will help his Congressional bid. Like New York, New Jersey has also faced a flood of migrants which has wreaked havoc across the Garden State.

“They’re coming into communities — the poorer communities — taking already scarce and expensive housing. They’re getting driver’s licenses without identification,” Bashaw said.

Republicans have been making gains in the mostly liberal state, which GOP Gov. Chris Christie famously led between 2010 and 2018. In the 2021 gubernatorial election, Republican Jack Ciattarelli came within four points of beating Democrat Phil Murphy.

Kim sits on a more than $4 million war chest, while Bashaw’s current cash on hand is just over $1 million, Federal Election Commission records show. More than half of Bashaw’s funds came from his own pocket in the form of $1.8 million in loans.

“I’ve put skin in the game,” said Bashaw said, who declined to say how much more he was prepared to spend in the home stretch.

A debate between the candidates is scheduled for Oct. 6.

Bashaw pledged to vote for Republican presidential nominee Trump, who lost New Jersey in 2020 by 16 points, but demurred when asked about the top of the ticket.

“We’re running our race in New Jersey right now. And that’s what I have to say. I’m Curtis Bashaw, I’m running for Senate in New Jersey. I’m not Donald Trump. He’s running his race,” he said.

Bashaw also highlighted his disagreements with the former president and his party more broadly, promising to support federal abortion protections.

“I would vote for a bipartisan law that enshrined a woman’s right to choose legislatively,” he said. “I’m not a rubber stamp for anybody.”

Reps for Kim did not respond to request for comment from The Post.

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New Jersey

Devils Out to Rattle the Leafs | PREVIEW | New Jersey Devils

Published

5 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Devils Out to Rattle the Leafs | PREVIEW | New Jersey Devils

THE SCOOP

The Devils began their season-high seven-game homestand with a decisive victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. The win was their second consecutive victory after picking up a win in St. Louis earlier in the week.

There’s not a lot of runway left in the season, and stringing together a run of victories is at the top of their minds. New Jersey is 11 points out of the final Wild Card spot, and 13 out of third in the Metropolitan Division. Tuesday will mark the Devils final game before the NHL Trade Deadline, which is on Friday at 3 p.m.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are having a down year, based on where the expectations were set heading into the season. The Leafs have struggled to gain any traction in their season and sit just two points ahead of New Jersey with 64. Toronto is 12 points out of third in the Atlantic Division, and nine points out of a Wild Card spot.

The Leafs have a tendency to give up an abundance of shots to their opponents, ranking first in the league in shots against, per game with 31.8, which bodes will for a Devils team that averages 29.4 shots per game, ranking sixth in the league. Despite their overall struggles, the Leafs do have the league’s fourth-best penalty kill, working at an 83.1 percent efficiency.

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New Jersey

Former Lumberton, New Jersey, mayor Gina LaPlaca pleads guilty to 2025 DUI, sentenced to treatment program

Published

17 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Former Lumberton, New Jersey, mayor Gina LaPlaca pleads guilty to 2025 DUI, sentenced to treatment program

A former mayor in Burlington County, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to DUI and child endangerment charges after a 2025 traffic stop, according to prosecutors.

Lumberton Township committee member Gina LaPlaca, 46, was indicted last spring on child abuse charges after county prosecutors said she was observed driving drunk with her young child in the car, while serving as the township mayor.

Police arrested her at her home after reviewing video from a witness showing her swerving out of her lane and nearly hitting a utility pole. Lumberton police discovered her blood alcohol concentration was .30%, over three times the legal limit of .08%.

On Monday, LaPlaca was sentenced to three years in a diversionary program for first-time offenders after pleading guilty to driving under the influence and a fourth-degree child abuse charge. As part of the plea deal, LaPlaca will avoid jail time as long as she abides by the terms of the program.

Under the terms of the Pretrial Intervention or PTI program, she must attend regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and comply with any requirements set by the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency.

Judge Craig A. Ambrose also ordered LaPlaca to have an ignition lock device on her car that will prevent it from starting up if the driver has consumed alcohol. She said in court she had already installed one in October 2025, the county prosecutor’s office said.

If LaPlaca violates the terms of the PTI program, she could be prosecuted for the child abuse charge.

LaPlaca completed an intensive treatment program in May 2025 and said in a statement that she is “fully committed to my recovery” and is doing the “daily, intentional work” that comes with it. She apologized to Lumberton residents while acknowledging a private struggle with alcohol addiction that was no longer private.

“The weight of my actions is something I carry deeply,” she said in a statement shared on social media. “What I did was wrong. It was dangerous. It was inexcusable. I drove while intoxicated with my child in the car — a choice that could have caused irreversible harm. That reality is something I will live with, and learn from, for the rest of my life.”

LaPlaca served as mayor through 2025 but remains on the township committee. Terrance Benson was sworn in as mayor of Lumberton this year.

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New Jersey

Newark-bound United flight returns to LA airport for evacuation after reported fire

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Newark-bound United flight returns to LA airport for evacuation after reported fire

NEWARK, New Jersey — A United Airlines flight headed to Newark, New Jersey returned to the Los Angeles airport Monday about 40 minutes after taking off for an emergency evacuation after a reported fire, authorities said.

All flights at the LAX International Airport were ordered to remain on the ground for about half an hour during the flight’s return and evacuation, according to advisories from the Federal Aviation Administration. No injuries were reported.

The flight, which was en route to Newark Liberty International Airport returned to LAX to address an issue with one of the engines, the airline said in a statement. There was no mention of a fire, but the LA Fire Department said it responded and there was a fire that was contained as of an hour after the plane’s landing.

The flight took off at 10:43 a.m., began to turn around at about 11 a.m. and landed again at 11:19 a.m., according to flight tracker FlightAware.

The LA Fire Department said they assisted with the evacuation of more than 250 passengers and crew. Passengers exited the plane on the taxiway using slides and stairs and were taken to the terminal, the airline said.

The airplane was a Boeing 787-9, a variant of the popular line of 787 Dreamliner long-haul aircraft.

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