WATCH: Today on the Front Range, Bernie Sanders and the AOC are demonstrating against "oligarchy."
More than 34,000 people gathered at Denver's Civic Center Park on Friday evening for a rally featuring U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. It was the largest event of the week, during which Democrats held various gatherings and town halls across the state.
Earlier that day, over 11,000 attendees packed the Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley. These appearances are part of a broader tour through western states by the two popular political figures, as well as Sanders' nationwide "Fight the Oligarchy" tour.
“The American people are making it clear: we will not accept an oligarchic society,” Sanders declared to the crowd at the University of Northern Colorado campus. “We will not stand by while the richest man in the world manipulates Washington—cutting funding for the Social Security Administration, the Veterans Administration, and nearly dismantling the Department of Education—just to hand over a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the wealthiest 1%.”
Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont and a two-time Democratic presidential candidate, launched his “coast to coast” tour to build a populist resistance against President Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk, and the policies of the current administration.
On Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez criticized the media landscape and political strategies she believes are designed to divide voters.
"If you don’t know your neighbor, it’s easier to turn on them," she told the crowd. "That’s why they want to keep us separated, alone, and apart—scrolling on our phones, thinking the person next to us is our enemy. But they’re not."
The rally in Greeley reflected a growing trend of large turnouts in Republican-held districts, with around 4,000 people packed inside the arena and another 8,000 gathered outside. Colorado’s 8th Congressional District is considered one of the most competitive in the country, after GOP Rep. Gabe Evans narrowly defeated former Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo last fall. The tour has focused on swing districts currently held by Republicans, including stops in Kenosha and Altoona, Wisconsin.
"I’m extremely worried," said Helene Hooprich, a longtime Sanders supporter from Greeley. "We can’t let the wealthy take away our government funding... I’ll do anything I can to help."
The crowd was a mix of enthusiastic supporters of Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders, along with Democratic voters searching for direction amid recent electoral losses and the Trump administration’s aggressive policies. Their concerns echoed sentiments expressed at Democratic town halls across Colorado throughout the week.
In Greeley, Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez seemed to embody a vision beyond what the Democratic Party currently offers.
“I’m really concerned about poor and working-class people in the United States,” said Bonnie Auslander of Lyons. “I’m disappointed that Democrats, in some ways, seem to have abandoned the working class. That’s what I admire about Bernie and AOC.”
“I’m not interested in this centrist Democratic message of staying the course,” she added.
Some voters attended the rally seeking a sense of camaraderie."I'm so happy to see something happening in opposition to everything going on with the administration," said Cathy Leon of Fort Collins. "It’s just really nice to be out here with like-minded people."
Both Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez emphasized the importance of unity and grassroots organizing.“Our task here is to build community—that’s our deeper, deeper mission,” Ocasio-Cortez told the Greeley crowd. “Elections come and go. We do our work, we set the board, but in the meantime, we must strengthen our bonds—through block associations, neighborhood groups, volunteer organizations, churches, and PTAs. Community is the strongest foundation we have to fight fascism, defeat authoritarianism, and root out corruption.”
Rallies in the Midwest had already drawn tens of thousands, surpassing even Sanders’ campaign expectations. At these events, he compared the current political moment to historic movements like the American Revolution and the fight for abolition.
Friday afternoon’s rally had a similar atmosphere, with thousands watching from outside the arena—some seated on lawn chairs or picnic blankets, children perched on parents’ shoulders, and others climbing trees for a glimpse of the jumbotron. The crowd was diverse, including older voters, younger parents with their children, and a strong presence of women.
Although the rallies have the energy of a presidential campaign, Sanders has made it clear he is not running again.
“This feels like a presidential campaign rally, doesn’t it? But I’m not running for president, and this is not a campaign,” Sanders told The Associated Press earlier this month. “You gotta do what you gotta do. The country’s in trouble, and I want to play my role.”
