Accusations Swirl, McDowell Vows Assembly Run without GOP Backing

NORTH WILDWOOD – A North Wildwood Realtor says he’s not backing down after the Cape May County Republican Organization has pulled its support for his run for state Assembly after a series of allegations surfaced. 
Brian McDowell, a former contestant on “The Apprentice” who heavily campaigned for Donald Trump last year, said county Republican Party Chairman Marcus Karavan pushed for him to step down, but he refused.
He will remain on the ballot in the June 6 Primary election, although not on the same line as the endorsed Republican candidates.
“I’m still running for Assembly. I’m still actively campaigning, and I still intend to win, with or without the Cape May County endorsement,” McDowell said.
Karavan made the announcement recently through social media.
“In recent days, issues and information have surfaced related to Assembly candidate Brian McDowell that were unknown to our county committee members and the Cape GOP leadership during our open convention process,” Karavan posted to the Cape May County Regular Republican organization’s Facebook page.
“In the opinion of the leadership, this information places the candidate in a light that is inconsistent with several of the core principles of the Cape May County Regular Republican Organization. Accordingly, we cannot in good conscience support this candidate going forward.”
Karavan declined to offer further details.
“We’ve made our decision. The press release that we’ve put out is the extent that we’re going to comment,” he said April 13.
In an interview in his North Wildwood office, McDowell said on April 12 that the information Karavan cited came from anonymous letters and a video, including accusations of criminal charges, bankruptcy and more. McDowell said much of the information is false, but not all of it.
“There was an accusation that I was in the domestic violence registry, which I am,” he said.
According to McDowell, he received a temporary restraining order after proposing to his girlfriend on a bus. She took it as harassment, he said.
McDowell said the restraining order was later lifted, and that he later had a 10-year relationship with the woman, and two daughters. This and other explanations could not be independently confirmed.
“In 2009, I did file for bankruptcy. I was caught in the real estate business, with a lot of real estate development projects, and I met with my professionals, and that was the avenue that was best suited to my situation,” he said.
There was also a charge out of Florida, which he said the prosecutor there later declined to pursue but resulted in a mugshot being posted. That unflattering photo that remains on the internet and most recently a video was sent to local Republicans, which includes McDowell using foul language.
He also shows up in a North Wildwood police blotter, charged with obstruction in the summer of 2014.
He said those charges were dropped, and that he had become involved in an issue with an officer and a patron outside a North Wildwood bar after midnight. “I should have minded my own business,” he said.
“Even Jesus dropped the cross three times. I’m not running to be the Pope. I’m running to make New Jersey affordable,” McDowell said. He plans to hold rallies to get his ideas before the public. In addition to saying New Jersey needs to do better on taxes, he suggested seeking federal money for a tunnel under the Delaware Bay connecting the Jersey Cape to Delaware, while keeping the ferry operational as a tourist attraction.
“I can’t defend this one person at a time, but if people come to my events and my rallies, 100, 200, 500 at a time, and they listen to my ideas, I believe they will get past the fact that I have made human errors in my life,” he said.
“Mr. McDowell was offered an opportunity to withdraw his name from consideration, for the good of our organization and its mission,” Karavan continued in his statement. “He has refused. Therefore, after careful consideration and consultation with municipal leaders, the decision has been made to remove Mr. McDowell from the Cape May County Regular Republican Organization line on the upcoming primary ballot. The appropriate paperwork has been filed with the County Clerk’s office to effectuate this change.”
In March, members of the Republican county committee met in Avalon to decide on endorsements, backing McDowell and Cumberland County Freeholder James Sauro for Assembly, to run against Democratic incumbents Bruce Land and Robert Andrzejczak in November.
The same evening, the GOP backed Mary Gruccio of Vineland for state Senate against incumbent Democrat Jeff Van Drew, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno for governor, Will Morey and Jeff Pierson for freeholders, and Susan M. Sheppard for county surrogate, as well as nominating Robert Nolan for sheriff over Richard Harron, who later accepted the Democratic nomination to seek that office.
Robert G. Campbell, the mayor of Downe Township in Cumberland County, is also running for Assembly off the endorsed party line, under the slogan “New Direction, Vote for Change.”
Karavan’s decision means that McDowell will not be on the same line as the endorsed candidates in June.
According to Cape May County Clerk Rita Fulginiti, it’s too late to add names to the primary ballot, but it is possible to run a write-in campaign in the June vote. She said she hadn’t heard of any such plans.
McDowell suggested it could have been the Democratic incumbents who sent the letters to Karavan and other GOP committee members but had no evidence to support that idea.
Typically, if an opposing party had damaging information about an opponent, they would hang on to it until later in the race, not take steps to keep that person off the ballot.
Van Drew, who heads the 1st District legislative team, said he didn’t have any information about McDowell aside from hearing that he’d lost the Republican county committee’s support.
“I don’t even know what he’s done,” Van Drew said. “We certainly wouldn’t mind if he ran.”
According to the statement from Karavan, the Cape GOP’s Executive Committee will meet soon to discuss the organization’s position for the primary.