Searching for hope, 30,000 flock to Sanders, AOC rally in Denver

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, left, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez join hands during the “Fighting Oligarchy Tour” rally in Denver, Colo. on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)

An estimated 34,000 people, clad in t-shirts with slogans reading “Young Dems Kick Ass” and “I Heart My Union,” descended on Denver’s Civic Center Park Friday evening for a rally hosted by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Attendees brought buttons, shirts, flags, and other accessories in support of Bernie and AOC, as well as in protest of others on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Ethel Yagudayeva/CU Independent)

According to Sanders, the crowd was the largest on the duo’s “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, as well as the largest rally of Sander’s career, including during his 2016 and 2020 runs for the presidency.

“We are not powerless in this moment,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “People are starting to put the pieces together and, ironically, some of the most divisive forces in our country are actually bringing more of us together than ever before.”

Among the expansive crowd of supporters, a common motivation for attending emerged: searching for hope in a tumultuous political climate.

Sen. Bernie Sanders greets the crowd during the “Fighting Oligarchy Tour” rally in Denver, Colo. on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)

Lala Curkendall and Emma Landez, a 19-and-20-year-old pair of Denver residents, expressed a sense of dejection toward the current state of American politics.

“When the election came in… I still had hope,” Landez said. “Since the beginning of the year has just been scary, especially as a young woman in America. I’m scared to walk down the street sometimes.”

For many, the rally represented a sense of solidarity among other like-minded Coloradans. In the November presidential election, 54% of Colorado voters chose Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate. In Denver County, where the rally was held, 76% of residents voted for Harris in November.

“I think I have some hope because there’s a lot of people here,” Curkendall said.

People gather in Civic Center Park before the "Fighting Oligarchy Tour" rally in Denver, Colo. on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Celia Frazier/CU Independent)

A large crowd gathers before the state capitol in Civic Center Park for the "Fighting Oligarchy Tour" rally in Denver, Colo. on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Celia Frazier/CU Independent)

Among the most touted concerns of attendees were LGBTQ+ rights, political division and the Israel-Palestine war.

“Donald Trump will not be here in 20 years. Trans people will be here in 20 years,” said Patrick Caessayrs, a 2010 graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder. “I want to make sure that, as a queer person myself… there is a future for average people in America, just all the people who exist and all the possible ways to exist.”

Caessayrs expressed concerns over specific Trump administration policies, such as the State Department’s decision to suspend the X gender marker option on passports. Caessayrs said they recently changed their own passport gender marker to X, a decision that has left them concerned about the validity of a new passport when their current one expires later this year.

Rori Sherburn, a graduate student at the nearby University of Denver, said she aligns herself with Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez because she believes “it’s just what’s right.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders, left, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speak to the crowd during the “Fighting Oligarchy Tour” rally in Denver, Colo. on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Celia Frazier/CU Independent)

Sherburn also said that she put her concerns about the Israel-Palestine war “above everything else.”

“We shouldn’t be worried about giving tax cuts to CEOs or upping our military weapons,” she said. “We need to be worried about helping the people here, helping communities, helping people that are disadvantaged.”

It was a sentiment shared by both Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez.

“If you are willing to fight for someone you don’t know, you are welcome here,” Ocasio-Cortez said in her address. “If you are willing to fight for the working people of this country, regardless of who they are, how they identify or where they come from, you are welcome here, because here, everyone is valued.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the podium of the rally, speaking on the rights and freedoms of the people in the “Fighting Oligarchy” rally on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Ethel Yagudayeva/CU Independent)

Ocasio-Cortez’s words were met with cheers from the crowd and later echoed among many attendees, including Liz Heinemann, a recent graduate from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

“The fact that people are actively trying to get rid of trans rights and gay rights – those people are my friends and my neighbors,” Heinemann said. “That’s not something that you do to people that you care about.”

In keeping with the event’s theme of “fighting oligarchy,” both politicians focused much of their addresses on the roles that billionaires have played in the current administration.

“Right behind Trump (at his inauguration) were the three wealthiest people in the country: (Elon) Musk, (Jeff) Bezos and (Mark) Zuckerberg,” Sanders said. “But that’s not enough. Behind them were 13 other billionaires who Trump had nominated to run major government agencies.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks during the “Fighting Oligarchy Tour” rally in Denver, Colo. on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)

Kawliga Forehand, a 24-year-old Denver resident, said she is concerned that Musk – who Trump recently appointed head of the Department of Government Efficiency – is making decisions even though he “wasn’t elected.”

Sanders noted that this trend is present throughout the Democratic Party, as well.

“I would not be telling you the truth if I didn’t tell you that within the Democratic Party, there are billionaires who have undue influence, and there is a reason why,” he said. “For the last 30 or 40 years, Democrats have turned their backs on the working class of this country.”

While attendees expressed frustration with members of both parties, many felt that the rally – particularly Ocasio-Cortez’s presence – represented new potential for the future of the political system.

“It’s great to see someone young like (Ocasio-Cortez) pairing up with (Sanders) to pass the torch to have leadership, because… certain Democratic leaders have absolutely failed us at this critical moment,” Caessayrs said. “So seeing someone like AOC stepping up to lead us – it’s really great to have some hope.”