TOMS RIVER-Brian Goldberg, represented as Ocean County MAGA (Make America Great Again) Republicans has secured the coveted Column A in the 2018 June 5th Republican primary for senate.
Bob Hugin, a pharmaceutical exec who is self-funding his $8 million campaign to defeat embattled Democrat Senator Robert Menendez, along with the Regular Republican Organization will be in Column B.
Goldberg has been running a grass roots effort as the campaign underdog, touting the line of President Donald Trump, which could prove to be a smart move in Ocean County, but could get him into trouble in the more liberal areas of the mostly blue Garden State.
On the other side, Hugin has been trying to present a more stately image, including his recent trip to Israel to commemorate the opening of America’s new embassy in Jerusalem.
While Goldberg is more of a what you see is what you get type of candidate, Hugin remains to many, a mystery. Other than railing Senator Menendez for his corruption scandals and innefectiveness as a senator, many on his Facebook page continue to question his platform and principles going into the primary.\
Hugin is a former “Big Pharma” white-collar executive and served in the United States Marine Corps as an infantry officer according to his biography.
Goldberg is blue-collar small business owner, running his family’s decorative concrete business. Both would need a big win in Ocean County to pack in the votes needed to defeat Menendez.
Hugin’s trip to Israel could pay dividends when it comes to Lakewood’s large Orthodox and Hasidic voting bloc.
The election will be held June 5th.