On Monday, Oct. 14, Republican Senate Candidate, Curtis Bashaw addressed Rowan students in Business Hall room 104 on his campaign trail as a guest hosted by the Rowan Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship (RIPPAC) as an installment in their speaker series.

Bashaw, a South Jersey native, began by talking about his background. Born in Cherry Hill, Bashaw fell in love with the Jersey Shore community of Cape May during summers, working in hospitality at Cape May’s Congress Hall hotel.

After graduating from Wheaton College with a bachelor’s degree in literature, Bashaw went on to transform this love into a strong business career, as he renovated and restored Congress Hall after it had been abandoned for a period, while simultaneously earning an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

From his initial success with Congress Hall, Bashaw expanded into more hospitality and real estate ventures centered around Cape May County, until today, where his company employs over 1,100 employees and operates eight hotels, six restaurants, four retail outlets, ten cottages, and a fully functioning farm. With a successful career and decades of experience in the business field, Bashaw seeks to bring a unique perspective to a senate mostly composed of career politicians.

“I want us to be committed to our core values, so we’re giving each other the space that we need to find domestic tranquility and to work together to build opportunity for all of us,” Bashaw said.

Bashaw emphasized his commitment to fiscally conservative policies, citing his skepticism of excessive government spending, and he believes his lengthy business career will aid him in crafting responsible fiscal policy.

In addition, he affirmed his pro-choice views and support for abortion rights, his skepticism of offshore windmills on the Jersey Shore, and his support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas.

“I have a real soft spot for immigration,” Bashaw said. “We’ve conflated border security with immigration policy, we’ve politicized it and merged it. I think it’s okay for a country with a boundary to have ports of entry that are places of law and order and control. I think that’s not a slight against any group, it’s just saying that this is our boundary.”

New Jersey’s senatorial race this year has proven to be an especially interesting one, as the position’s previous occupant, Former Senator Bob Menendez, had stepped down from the position in the wake of a corruption scandal. Now, after winning June’s Republican primary, Bashaw is moving into the home stretch of the campaign before Election Day.

“It was very well organized, Bashaw was very well-spoken,” said RIPPAC member, Chris Hutton. “It was definitely very educational, and I recommend these events to everyone.”

Bashaw closed out his talk by giving advice to the crowd about achieving success in their future endeavors.

“I wish I knew how much power I had when I was twenty-one, and how quickly twenty years goes,” Bashaw said. “It truly is a blink of an eye, so don’t shrink from stretching yourself, pursuing your goals. Make sure you’re enjoying each phase and moment, because it matters.”

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