Bernie Sanders rallies 26,000 in Folsom for “Fighting Oligarchy” tour
PHOTO: Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders join hands.
By Harald Tollerup
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–
Asher Braff is a 6th grade teacher in the San Juan Unified School District. President Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education is “deeply troubling” to him.
Sydney Simpson traveled from San Francisco. There, she has seen firsthand many of the issues that plague the city, disappointed by the lack of substantive action by Democrats to solve them.
Hannah Bauer is a queer, Latina woman, and views the current Trump administration’s policies as a direct attack on herself and others. “I just believe in human rights,” she said.
Braff, Simpson and Bauer traveled anywhere from 20 minutes to over three hours for one man: Bernie Sanders.
And they weren’t alone. 26,000 showed up in Folsom, California on April 15 for the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, alongside 36,000 in Los Angeles. Even in predominantly Republican-leaning states such as Idaho, 12,000 attended the rally in Napa.
“I believe in him,” Bauer said.
“Massive turnouts are not happy with the status quo,” Simpson said.
After two failed presidential runs, Senator Sanders has built a new movement centered around economic populism and the rejection of billionaires, whom he argues have too much control over people’s lives.
Joining him on the tour is Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who has been vocal about the need to fight Trump rather than to sit idly and wait out the next four years.
Part of that fight is rallying Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike who are disgruntled by high prices, stagnant wages and wealth inequality. “Showing (up) there can be change,” Bauer said.
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Sanders look to channel their energy and disappointment into midterm success for Democrats.
Currently, Republican Kevin Kylie serves in California’s 3rd Congressional district, home to Folsom. The swing district is one of the many Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Sanders look to turn blue come the 2026 midterm election.
During 2024, presidential candidates rarely, if at all, traveled to non-swing states. Voters not living in those seven swing states felt unheard and unimportant, leading to turnout dropping by 2.9 points nationwide, according to a study conducted by BallotPedia.
The rally also served as a community for progressive people and ideas, a group that has been shunned by Democrats and labeled as incapable of winning elections. However, some call for Rep. Ocasio-Cortez to run for president.
The tour is undoubtedly building momentum for Democrats, yet the true test will come Nov. 2026.
“We just all have to try,” Bauer said.
