Returning to UVA from spring break, I narrowly missed the rally Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) hosted in my hometown of Denver, CO, on March 21st. Their rallies, which are part of the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, are attracting tens of thousands; the gathering outside of the Civic Center in Denver reached around 33,000 in number, marking the biggest turnout of Sanders’s career, including his previous presidential campaigns. Sanders and AOC have been the most outspoken Democrats (while Sanders is an independent, he is a self-described democratic socialist and generally votes with the Democrats) against Trump and their own party’s shortcomings. In their rallies, Sanders and AOC have condemned the oligarchy that now runs the Oval Office while acknowledging the need for new leaders who will not only protect the planet but represent the middle and lower classes, protect international alliances, and take back the country from the men who have “seized our country and stolen the American Dream from us.”
Despite the successes of Sanders and AOC, many believe they are too extreme in their leftist views. However, their far-left views are attracting the crowds. Supporters are moved by their bravery to speak up. Because of their open resistance to the Trump-Musk regime and their mobilization efforts for Americans, Sanders and AOC are quickly becoming the faces of the Democratic Party.
Sanders has historically been one of the most prominent dissenters against Trump and has not shrunken back in fear. His message hasn’t changed. He’s still anti-billionaire and pro-working class. Similarly, AOC continues to stand for worker’s rights, accessible healthcare, and women’s rights. But the stakes for Democrats, and the United States overall, have changed. Voters are waking up to the reality that Trump and Musk will stop at nothing to take the United States federal government and more for themselves.
The “Fighting Oligarchy” rallies have proven that the left isn’t dead, and they have already gained Musk’s attention. “The Dems just move around paid protesters,” Musk accused on X in reply to a post about the rally in Denver. This is ironic, considering that Musk pays for votes and signatures, offers millions to those who oppose “activist judges,” proving that any form of dissent against the current administration is unsafe, bans anyone on X who makes fun of him, and denounces anyone who disagrees with him, desperate for the approval of the American people and the media.
America was founded on the right to disagree. The Founding Fathers, though flawed, stood up to injustice where they saw it in their governments and followed the Lockean idea to revolt when the government no longer represented the will of the people. Now, AOC and Sanders embody that vision. Do we, as Americans, not have the right to do the same?
Sanders has said that he does not wish to run for president in 2028, and as the futures of both the left and the United States remain uncertain, many have turned their eyes to AOC. At 35 and in her fourth term in the House, she will be eligible to run for president in 2028 if she wants it. But can she hold Republicans accountable for Trump’s increasingly extremist agenda despite the rest of her party’s inability to do so?
“The biggest split among Democrats is between those who want to stand and fight and those that want to play dead,” said Representative Greg Casar (D-TX). AOC has refused to play dead, and, through the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, she has proven that if leaders show up and tell constituents that they’re listening and fighting back, they will have the people’s support.
Still, with a prospective AOC candidacy, the left cannot afford to repeat the mistakes that led to their defeat in 2024 and the ensuing chaos in 2025, such as Biden’s refusal to concede from the presidential race and the party’s antagonizing of white working-class voters. Additionally, the party cannot make blind promises to swing voters after it has lost so much power and its approval ratings have tanked. AOC’s performance at the rallies proves she may be up to the challenge.
These rallies are paving the path forward, but time is of the essence. America’s current oligarchy grows stronger by the day. Its overarching policies harm more and more people and turn the United States from an international ally to a threat that ignores the voices of its people. At the end of Trump’s first term, America had enough and rallied around President Biden. In just one term, that seems to have been forgotten. What will be America’s breaking point? My hometown showed up for AOC and the voice of resistance she exemplifies. Can the Democratic Party do the same?
The opinions expressed within this piece represent the views of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Jefferson Independent.
Leave a Reply