DENVER — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took their ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ tour to Colorado on Friday, holding a rally in Greeley in the early afternoon before drawing an estimated 30,000 people to Denver’s Civic Center Park in the evening.
“In the hundreds of rallies that I have done, we have never, ever had a rally as large as this,” Sanders told the crowd shortly after he took the stage.
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez frequently drew loud cheers from the large crowd, railing against President Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk’s role with the Department of Government Efficiency, and widespread cuts to federal programs and workforces.
“This nation was built by working people!” said Sanders. “And we’re not gonna let a handful of billionaires run the government.”
“And our political system is ill-prepared for this kind of abuse of power,” Ocasio-Cortez said during her speech. “In fact, much of our political system enables it.”
Both also had pointed comments for Democrats.
“There is today profound disgust for both political parties,” Sanders said, saying the Democratic Party also has billionaires with too much influence and not enough support for everyday Americans.
Ocasio-Cortez said the Democratic Party needs to work harder for the working class.
She and Sanders doubled down on their message supporting progressive goals like Medicare For All and raising the federal minimum wage.
Rallygoers who spoke with Denver7 agree that the Democratic Party needs to see significant change.
“We need more Bernie and less [U.S. Senate Minority Leader] Chuck [Schumer],” said David Sherman, an Independent voter from Durango. “[Bernie] speaks for all of us. He speaks for inclusivity. He speaks for human rights across the board.”
Lee Rucker said he grew up supporting the Democratic Party because it felt like the party of everyday working Americans, but now he feels it generally caters to employers over employees.
“We’re not gonna take it lying down, and we’re gonna stand up,” he said.
Julie Barringer-Richers said she wants to see a more unified party, and Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez have a “a really powerful message.”
“It’s going to take a big effort on everyone to quit criticizing each other and just coalesce on how is this movement going to move forward in a way that we make everyone feel welcome, and also be heard and make a difference,” she said.
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