Despite being held in a state that has been reliably Democrat, a rally for the Republican former president set a record for New Jersey, a congressman said.
WILDWOOD, N.J.—Former President Donald Trump’s unusual speech on the beach attracted tens of thousands of fans Saturday—a crowd of historic proportions for the Republican candidate in a state considered reliably Democrat.
“Welcome to the largest political rally in the history of the state of New Jersey … and we’re not going away!” Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) told rally-goers.
His remarks came shortly before President Trump took the stage and unleashed sharpened attacks against his Democrat opponent, President Joe Biden, particularly regarding his handling of the Israel-Hamas war and related protests on U.S. college campuses.
Mr. Van Drew, a local folk hero for his Democrat-turned-Republican status, is leading the charge to help President Trump and other Republicans win the Garden State in this year’s general election. In 2020, then-candidate Joe Biden won New Jersey by 16 percentage points. But President Trump won the conservative Wildwood area—Mr. Van Drew’s district—by 25 points.
Overhead photographs showed Saturday’s crowd filled much of a quarter-mile span between Mariner’s Pier and the Adventure Pier; attendance estimates varied widely, from 40,000 to