LARRY KUDLOW: Democrats look like they're running scared

Wildwood used to be known as a lovely summer vacation beach resort in the south New Jersey. No more. It will forever be known as a place where Donald Trump drew a hundred thousand people at a rally this past Saturday, which is a record rally in the history of the state of New Jersey.

Formerly, the state attendance record for political rallies was 11 people. Oops! That was a joke, but President Trump carrying New Jersey this November 5 is no joke. Recall that in the 2021 gubernatorial race against incumbent Democrat Phil Murphy, the Republican candidate lost by only 3 percentage points. 

His name was Jack Ciattarelli. Nobody had ever heard of him. He was an obscure former state assemblyman, and his biggest campaign issue was opposition to state-wide COVID shutdowns. Basically, it was a protest vote against Governor Phil Murphy, but the point is: a hundred thousand Trump supporters at a beachside rally in Wildwood should be a warning to Joe Biden that Donald Trump could conceivably carry red New Jersey. 

US HOME PRICES HAVE SURGED 47% SINCE THE START OF 2020 

Trump wowed the folks with his litany of issues -- seal the border and stop the invasion, end the sanctuary cities such as Newark and Philadelphia, "drill, baby, drill," tax cuts, stop the inflation, business red-tape deregulation, law and order, Biden and Democrats' anti-Semitism, Trump's strong support of Israel and a strong America First around the world. Could Trump carry New Jersey? Of course he could. The Wildwood rally officially put New Jersey in play and that's not the only blue state. Take a listen to President Trump at the Wildwood rally: 

DONALD TRUMP: "As you can see today, we're expanding the electoral map because we are going to officially play in the state of New Jersey. We're going to win the state of New Jersey // We're also looking really great in the state of Minnesota, which hasn't been won since 1952 and we're leading in the polls in the state of Virginia." 

An updated New York Times-Sienna poll shows Trump leading Biden in five of the top six swing states. Of course, these are polls, not votes, but it is interesting that the former president is maintaining his lead and appears to be expanding his electoral map and base.  

Next thing you know, he's going to put New York State completely in play, after successful visits to the Harlem bodegas, midtown construction workers, and the New York Fire Department. Can't you just see it? A 75,000-person Trump rally in Yankee Stadium? Maybe 25,000 voters in Madison Square Garden? It'll drive AOC and her followers crazy. The state will have to spend more money on mental health facilities to accommodate the left-wing casualties from gigantic Trump rallies in socialist blue New York. 

What's so interesting in all this is not only that Biden is projecting weakness everywhere, in contrast to Mr. Trump's enormous strength, but the Biden lawfare jihad against Trump hasn't moved the needle one bit. 

In fact, it has undoubtedly backfired, just like Bidenomics and the rest of Biden's policies. Even the latest rumor is off the charts: now the Democrats are thinking about a virtual DNC convention in Chicago, just like the COVID convention in 2020. I know it's only May, about six months before the election… but the Democrats look like they're running scared from just about everybody. 

This article is adapted from Larry Kudlow’s opening commentary on the May 13, 2024, edition of "Kudlow."