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Public Record NJ is an independent research project using verifiable public records to bring clarity, context, and accountability to New Jersey politics.

Campaign Finances · February 18, 2026
· 9:00 AM · 8 minutes read

Monmouth County GOP and the Disappearing Alex Zdan Articles

Archived records show Central Jersey Newswire removed favorable Alex Zdan coverage as New Jersey GOP county conventions approach the 2026 U.S. Senate race.

January 6 — not that one — was a busy day for New Jersey Republicans. As news circulated announcing that Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon had been elected chair of the state GOP¹, something quieter was happening online. Articles about Alex Zdan began disappearing from Central Jersey Newswire, an “independent outlet” with previously documented ties to the Monmouth County Republican Committee.

The timing raises a question: on the eve of county endorsements for the 2026 U.S. Senate race, does this digital cleanup signal shifting Republican support within Monmouth County?

New Jersey’s unique county line system gives local party committees unusual influence over primary elections. In many counties, an endorsement by party leadership can shape ballot position and, by extension, the likely outcome of a primary.

This year, Democratic incumbent U.S. Senator Cory Booker is seeking re-election. On the Republican side, no consensus candidate has emerged. That vacuum has made early county conventions especially significant.

County conventions are scheduled throughout February and March². Last week, Passaic County Republicans endorsed Alex Zdan for the U.S. Senate race against Booker. The endorsement positions Zdan as an early favorite in at least one key North Jersey county.

But the picture in Monmouth County appears more complicated.

The 2024 Endorsement and Withdrawal

Convention Support, Subsequent Revelations, and a Shift to Bashaw

Shortly after incumbent Senator Bob Menendez was indicted on federal bribery charges, calls for his resignation intensified. Several Democrats, including Andy Kim and Tammy Murphy, announced plans to challenge him in the primary. The Democratic contest quickly became a referendum on the power of the county line system and the influence of party organizations over ballot placement.

Republicans faced a different question: how to capitalize on the opening. The name Alex Zdan began circulating among party insiders as a potential contender. A former News 12 investigative journalist turned influencial social media voice, Zdan positioned himself as an outsider ready to confront Democratic leadership.

In the lead up to the Monmouth County convention, Central Jersey Newswire published multiple favorable articles about Zdan’s campaign while criticizing GOP challenger Christine Serrano-Glassner, including:

Zdan secured the endorsement of Monmouth County Republicans⁶ at their February convention. As one of the largest Republican strongholds in the state, Monmouth’s backing was widely viewed as a significant early win for the political newcomer.

That momentum proved short lived. News reports⁷ soon detailed a prior DUI arrest and an incident involving leaving the scene of an accident. Before the primary filing deadline, Zdan withdrew from the race⁸. Monmouth County shifted its endorsement to Curtis Bashaw, who went on to win the Republican primary before losing the general election to Andy Kim (53.61% to 43.99%).

Digital Changes Ahead of the 2026 Cycle

Removed Articles, Restored Coverage, and Sitemap Modification Dates

In our prior reporting on Monmouth County campaign activity, Public Record NJ identified temporal relationships between candidates receiving favorable coverage on Central Jersey Newswire and payments to Archangel Strategy Group LLC, a political consulting firm. As part of that research, we archived all publicly available stories from Central Jersey Newswire in November 2025 using URLs listed in the site’s sitemap.xml. At that time, the favorable Zdan articles referenced above were live and accessible.

At some point in January, those favorable Zdan articles were removed from public view.

At the same time, a different article resurfaced. A story titled “Monmouth backs Bashaw”, originally published on March 24, 2024, is now live on the site. That article was not visible in our November archive, despite its 2024 publication date.

The restored story details the county’s decision to withdraw its endorsement of Zdan and instead support Curtis Bashaw after learning of Zdan’s prior DUI and leaving the scene incident. It quotes Monmouth County Sheriff and party chair Shaun Golden:

It was shocking and disappointing to learn of some personal background issues of which Mr. Zdan did not disclose to party leadership prior to convention which had left our party exposed.

The article specifically cites Zdan’s 2020 DUI as a factor in the party’s reversal.

The current sitemap lists the “Monmouth backs Bashaw” URL with a last modification date of 2026–01–06. Based on the available technical indicators, the sequence appears to be as follows: the favorable Zdan articles were live in November 2025, removed in January 2026, and during that same period the March 2024 withdrawal story was restored and reflecting the recent modification date.

Figure 1. Screenshot of Central Jersey Newswire sitemap.xml showing URL entries and last modification dates. Source: Central Jersey Newswire, accessed February 2026.
Figure 1. Screenshot of Central Jersey Newswire sitemap.xml showing URL entries and last modification dates. Source: Central Jersey Newswire, accessed February 2026.

No public explanation has been provided for the removal of the favorable coverage or the restoration of the critical article.

Financial Activity and Party Contributions

FEC Filings, Vendor History, and Post-Withdrawal Donations

While our previous research did not identify direct payments from the Alex Zdan campaign to Archangel Strategy Group LLC, the firm did receive payments from several other candidates endorsed by the Monmouth County Republican Committee during the 2023 cycle. Among them was congressional candidate Scott Fegler, who secured the county line at the same February convention where Zdan won backing for his Senate bid.

The overlap is notable because Archangel Strategies was simultaneously linked to Central Jersey Newswire, the outlet that published multiple favorable stories about Zdan in the weeks leading up to that convention. Although no filing demonstrates that Zdan himself paid the vendor, prior reporting shows that candidates aligned with Monmouth County endorsements frequently maintained financial relationships with the same firm.

Federal Election Commission records add another data point to the timeline. Days after ending his 2024 Senate campaign, Zdan made a $5,000 contribution to the New Jersey State Republican Organization. The contribution was lawful and disclosed. Its proximity to the withdrawal and endorsement shift, however, places it within the same sequence of events.

Figure 2. Campaign finance filings showing payments to state and county parties. Source: FEC.gov campaign disbursements.
Figure 2. Campaign finance filings showing payments to state and county parties. Source: FEC.gov campaign disbursements.

Taken together, the sequence raises interpretive questions. Whether the favorable coverage reflected explicit coordination, shared consultants, or informal alignment within party networks, the timing suggests that Central Jersey Newswire functioned as an indicator of county support ahead of the convention. If that was the case in 2024, changes to coverage patterns in 2026 may similarly offer insight into how party leadership is positioning itself before delegates cast their votes.

The sequence of activity could reflect routine editorial housekeeping. It could reflect search engine optimization updates. It could reflect a broader archival policy.

But it could also signal distancing.

Implications for Monmouth County Republicans

Consistency, Credibility, and the Question of Endorsement

Several factual questions remain:

  • Will the Monmouth County Republican Committee endorse Zdan in the upcoming convention cycle?
  • Why were favorable Zdan articles removed while a critical March 2024 story was restored?
  • Has the party’s position on the 2020 DUI changed?

If Monmouth endorses Zdan this year, the restored March 2024 article will stand as a public record of the party chair’s prior reasoning. That would create a clear tension between past statements and present action.

If Monmouth declines to endorse him, the content changes may represent an effort to clarify or reinforce that earlier break.

Either way, the altered digital record during an active endorsement cycle is significant. In New Jersey’s county driven primary system, shifts in messaging often precede shifts in power.

Notes

  1. In the days leading up to the NJ GOP convention, Central Jersey Newswire published multiple articles criticizing Steve Lonegan and Rosemary Becchi while running favorable coverage of Christine Giordano Hanlon. Campaign finance records show Hanlon’s committee reported a $2,086.55 payment to Archangel Strategy Group LLC on May 23, 2025. First quarter 2026 filings are not yet available.
  2. According to reporting by the New Jersey Globe, scheduled Republican county conventions include: Cape May GOP (February 17), Atlantic GOP (February 21), Burlington GOP (February 28), Bergen GOP (March 9), Somerset GOP (March 10), Monmouth GOP (March 11), and Middlesex GOP (March 14). See: David Wildstein, “Ready or Not, County Convention Season Is Nearly Here,” New Jersey Globe, https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/ready-or-not-county-convention-season-is-nearly-here/
  3. “WATCH: Is Zdan the Man? New video hints…,” Central Jersey Newswire, archived April 23, 2024. Internet Archive (Wayback Machine). https://web.archive.org/web/20240423073926/https://www.centraljerseywire.com/p/watch-is-zdan-the-man-new-video-hints
  4. “FIRST LOOK: Zdan makes Senate bid official…,” Central Jersey Newswire, archived November 7, 2025. Internet Archive (Wayback Machine). https://web.archive.org/web/20251107185010/https://www.centraljerseywire.com/p/first-look-zdan-makes-senate-bid
  5. “ICYMI: Zdan slams Menendez, vote by mail…,” Central Jersey Newswire, archived December 6, 2025. Internet Archive (Wayback Machine). https://web.archive.org/web/20251206144126/https://www.centraljerseywire.com/p/icymi-zdan-slams-menendez-vote-by
  6. Matt Rooney, “Zdan scores upset, wins Monmouth GOP line,” Save Jersey, February 2024. https://savejersey.com/2024/02/zdan-scores-upset-wins-monmouth-gop-line/
  7. Politico New Jersey Playbook, “More on Zdan’s DUI,” March 13, 2024, https://www.politico.com/newsletters/new-jersey-playbook/2024/03/13/more-on-zdans-dui-00146661
  8. New Jersey Globe, “Zdan drops Senate run…”, March 25, 2024, https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/zdan-drops-senate-run-pledges-to-remain-active-in-n-j-politics/

Archived links reflect the version of the page as captured by the Internet Archive on the date listed. Live URLs are no longer be accessible.