BOONTON TWP. – Curtis Bashaw says he’s the “centrist” in the Senate race, or in more simple terms – he’s the guy appealing to common sense.

“Our opponent is far to the left,” is a sentiment Bashaw raised more than once at a Thursday evening event at the home of Anthony M. Bucco, the Senate Minority Leader.

That opponent, of course, is Andy Kim.

Everyone knows that Republicans have not won a Senate seat in Jersey for more than 50 years and the numbers are still against them. Republicans have made recent gains on the registration rolls, but Dems still outnumber them statewide by more than 900,000.

That makes Bashaw’s task difficult, but not impossible.

Speaking of the “impossible,” Bashaw referred to a quote by Muhammad Ali. The gist of which is that “impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men 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.”

It is an interesting quote. But it also shows how times have changed. Two generations ago, Republicans would have condemned Ali as a “draft dodger.” Now, he’s quoted at a GOP event.

This does give support for Bashaw’s “centrist” qualifications.

Recall that he won the June primary by defeating the candidate endorsed by Donald Trump – Christine Serrano Glassner.

Speaking to about a hundred people, Bashaw spent some time talking about “tolerance,” which is not what you would normally hear at a MAGA event.

He said the beauty of American freedom is the ability and need for people to live amiably together even if they disagree with each other.

Bashaw said the United States is not for you if you want a controlled economy, a theocracy or a country that discriminates against women or marginalizes gays. For the record, Bashas is gay.

“We have to live together to enjoy the freedoms that we have,” he said.

A bit later, he said the founding fathers were all white men and some of them owned slaves. But one can’t forget the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, which he said gave rise to people like Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King and Harvey Milk – people who helped change society for the better.

Still, all was not high-minded philosophical musings.

Bashaw said Kim and the Dems in general must be held accountable for a border that is out of control.

Bashaw said he visited the border a few months ago and observed it during the overnight hours. He said he saw 62 people enter the United States.

“A secure border is a non-partisan issue,” he said, clearly hoping he can snag votes from independents and some Democrats.

As for Kim, Bashaw said he’s not only weak on the border, he’s weak on supporting Israel.

Asked about the big change in the national race, Bashaw said:
“Some people are very excited about Kamala’s candidacy as opposed to President Biden. That calls into question the fact that two weeks earlier, they were all saying he was fine.”

In introducing Bashaw, Bucco said:

“For the first time in a long time the Republican Party is united.”

Unity is very important for Republicans, who are a minority party in New Jersey.

Asked about any lingering hard feelings from the primary, Bashaw noted the many elected officials in attendance.

Indeed. Not all, but most of the county commissioners and state legislators representing Morris were on hand, enjoying not only Bashaw, but an impressive offering of shrimp, clams, lobster tails and the like.

You can’t go wrong with that cuisine.