Bernie Sanders makes a surprise appearance before Clairo’s set on the Outdoor Theatre stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, April 12, 2025.
Folsom, California – Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) brought their “Fight Oligarchy” tour to Republican-leaning Folsom, California on Tuesday night, drawing a staggering crowd of over 30,000 people. The turnout, confirmed by Folsom Lake College officials, was one of the largest political gatherings in the city’s history—especially notable in a district where Republicans traditionally dominate.
“In a city of 85,000, in a Republican [district], more than 30,000 people came out on a Tuesday night,” Sanders wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “We can and WILL defeat Trump and the oligarchs.”
Folsom, a suburb of Sacramento, sits within California’s 3rd Congressional District, currently represented by Republican Congressman Kevin Kiley. While Kiley won reelection in 2024 by 11 points, former President Donald Trump only carried the district by about 3 points, highlighting its potential as a future political battleground. The Cook Political Report currently classifies the district as “Likely Republican,” but the massive rally suggests the progressive base may be energized in unexpected places.
The “Fight Oligarchy” tour has taken Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez to both swing states and deep-red areas, including Utah and Idaho, where they drew crowds of 20,000 and 12,000, respectively. Their message focuses on challenging corporate power, income inequality, and what they describe as the growing threat of authoritarianism under Trump.
“To Mr. Trump and people all over this country, we as Americans will not accept oligarchy,” Sanders declared in Folsom. “We will not accept authoritarianism and we will not accept a rigged economy where working people struggle while billionaires become richer.”
Ocasio-Cortez echoed the call for solidarity and community-based resistance.
“Community is the most powerful building block we have to defeat authoritarianism and root out corruption,” she said. “If you are willing to fight for someone you don’t know, you are welcome here.”
The lawmakers also directed criticism at local Representative Kevin Kiley. Sanders noted Kiley’s lack of in-person town halls and his support for tax breaks for the wealthy. “I have a feeling that some of your constituents would love to sit down and chat with you on that issue,” Sanders said.
Kiley’s office responded by noting their use of “teletown halls,” citing constituent polling.
The “Fight Oligarchy” tour continues Wednesday in Missoula, Montana—another Trump stronghold—as Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez push to galvanize progressive energy ahead of the 2026 midterms and beyond.
