Donald Trump is headed to Wildwood on Saturday with two related goals:

Turn out a huge crowd.

And lay the groundwork to win the state, which is something no Republican has done since 1988.

A big crowd is probably guaranteed.

But how about winning the state?

“I think there’s nothing to that. New Jersey is not going to be a welcoming place for Trump.”

So said Rep. Mikie Sherrill in a zoom call Friday morning with the press.

Sherrill is taking an aggressive approach to the former president’s visit, calling for a “Day of Action” on Saturday that includes a Morris County “meet and greet” with CD-7 Democratic candidate Sue Altman and a visit to an “Essex County small business to showcase support for reproductive freedom.”  Altman is challenging Rep. Thomas H. Kean Jr.

The America First Republicans in New Jersey, meanwhile, are talking about Project 14. Its goal is:

“To deliver New Jersey’s 14 electoral votes to President Trump and send Biden back to Delaware.”

The group plans a pre-rally celebration of sorts at a local restaurant.

Sherrill isn’t buying it.

She argues that many people in New Jersey, and south Jersey especially,  know about Trump’s dismal record in Atlantic City – one marked by bankruptcies and allegations some workers and contractors were never fully paid.

Trump held a rally in Wildwood back in 2020 when he was president, an indoor event in January.

The optics of this rally alone – an outdoor setting on the beach with mild weather – suggest a much larger crowd.

The congresswoman acknowledged that, but predicted:

“You’ll see a lot of people coming from out of state.”