Senator Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wow a crowd of 30,000

By Ken Magri

On April 15, the “Fighting Oligarchy” campaign came to the Folsom Lake College athletic track with a roar.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, have paired up to give speeches across the country, starting with their first event on February 26 in Nebraska. The feisty liberals visit congressional districts currently held by Republicans, looking to flip just a few districts in 2026 to achieve a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives. 

They came to Folsom to talk about corporate influence, claims of Republican corruption and what some feel is a mean-spirited shakedown of America itself at the hands of Donald Trump and his allies.

Neither Sanders, who is an Independent, nor Ocasio-Cortez who is a Democrat, accept large donations from corporations or special interests.

Originally planned for Auburn, the early RSVP’s were so numerous that the event had to be moved to the community college on Sacramento County’s eastern side. Folsom is one of the only urban areas in Republican Kevin Kiley’s congressional district, which narrowly skirts the Cascades and Sierra Nevada from Lake Almanor down to Death Valley and beyond.

But getting in to the event was a major challenge for those who didn’t arrive several hours earlier.

With speakers scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm, by 3:30 the line outside was impossibly long, eventually reaching two miles as it wound down Silberhorn Drive and circled around several streets inside the Lexington Hills neighborhood.

Some friendly neighbors handed out ice cold bottles of water as the afternoon temperatures got warmer. But the heat was too much for a few folks, one of whom needed EMT care. Other supporters gave up their spots in line, gathering around the gentleman with umbrellas to keep him shaded until a Folsom fire truck arrived.

While walking in line, News & Review asked long time Bernie supporter and Roseville resident Molly Mangan her reasons for coming to the rally.

“I think he’s trying to unify the people who think there’s a lot of corruption going on,” said Mangan, a registered nurse. “I think we needed universal health care a long time ago.”

Mangan also mentioned women’s rights as a major motivation for being there, and “human rights in general, not just for women.”

Jamie Marquis is a non-binary resident of downtown Sacramento and recent UC Davis graduate who came with an optimistic attitude.

“It gives me hope to hear AOC and Bernie talk about supporting the queer community,” Marquis said. “There are still people in legislation fighting for my right to exist.”

At one point, word passed down the line that chairs would no longer be allowed inside. A few local neighbors let supporters ditch the chairs on their front lawns, promising to look after them.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez heats up the crowd

Sometime after 6 pm, after an opening musical set by the group Philharmonik, the loudspeakers were blasting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s words across the area. Some line-waiters stopped along a fence behind the track where they could hear, as others gathered around supporter’s phones to watch the live stream. But the huge crowd sucked up all the Wi-Fi, making that more difficult.

Inside the athletic track, Ocasio-Cortez delivered a fierce speech. Supporters were packed in closer to the stage, to get a look at the young Congress member from New York’s 14th District (representing sections of Queens and the Bronx).

Ocasio-Cortez spoke about corruption, mentioning accusations of Republican politicians’ insider-trading after Trump appeared to manipulate the stock market with his tariff policy announcements.

“They believe that it’s normal for elected representatives who swear an oath to the American people to day-trade individual stocks and make millions with the sensitive information we are entrusted with for the purpose of governing,” she said.

“How can anyone possibly make an objective vote on health care, energy or war when their personal money is tied up in pharmaceutical companies, oil and gas companies or defense company stocks?” asked Ocasio-Cortez.

“And if Donald Trump wants to find the rapists and criminals in this country, he needs to look in a mirror today,” she added.

Ocasio-Cortez also mentioned the Trump administration’s attacks on hard-working middle-class Americans, the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, educators and the right to free speech.

“It is real – people are being targeted and harassed just for being LGBTQ,” Ocasio-Cortez went on. “Our co-workers, US citizens and immigrants alike are being disappeared off the streets by men in vans with no uniform. Educators are being fired for teaching American history accurately, and activists are being detained with no charge or evidence for using their first amendment rights, especially if they are speaking about Palestinian rights and to end the war in Gaza.”

Bernie Sanders was the main event

Then Ocasio-Cortez introduced Bernie Sanders and the crowd got crazy-loud. Wearing a dark blue blazer and a Folsom Lake College baseball cap, Sanders walked up to the podium and characterized the attendance as “unbelievable.”

“We have almost as many people here as we had in LA,” said the senator. “I’m told we have close to 30,000 people here.”

Bernie began on his theme about corporate influence, which he sees as a cancer on both political parties because it creates a doorway to being ruled by the very rich. That is the definition of an oligarchy.

Sanders challenged Representative Kiley to hold a Folsom town hall meeting in person; something Republicans have been avoiding lately.

He brought up the Supreme Court’s “Citizens United” decision which allowed elections to be funded without limits by corporate money. He spoke against Elon Musk’s influence, paid for with $270 million in donations to Trump’s campaign. 

“Elon owns more wealth than bottom 50% of the households in America,” said Sanders. “Brothers and sisters, that is insane.”

Sanders also spoke against Trump’s refusal to abide by a recent 9-0 Supreme Court decision that demands the return of Abrego Garcia, an innocent man sent to a prison in El Salvador without due process.

Among the issues Sanders spent the most time on were Americans’ First Amendment rights on freedom of speech and assembly, which includes the right to criticize and protest the actions of a president.

“He has sued ABC, CBS, Meta, the Des Moines Register,” said Sanders.

“His FCC is now investigating NPR and PBS. Just the other day he said that CBS should  lose its license,” Sanders added. “And this is from a guy who has spent his entire political career attacking people, lying about people in the most vicious ways … So we say to Trump, if you can’t take criticism, get out of politics.”

Bernie then touched on affordable housing and homelessness.

“As a nation, we’ve got 800,000 people sleeping on the streets of America,” Sanders pointed out. “We’ve got 20 million people who spend half of their limited incomes on housing. Maybe instead of spending a trillion dollars a year on the military, we could build 500,000 units of affordable housing.”

Sanders defended trade unions and championed universal health care for all, mentioning how the stress of the working class shortens their life span by four years when compared to the wealthy.

At that point, the crowd began chanting “Bernie, Bernie” before he put up his hand. “Thank you,” he said, “but it’s not me. It’s you.”

Sanders finished with a call to work together and defeat the moneyed interests that have enabled what he calls “Trumpism.”

 After the rally Bernie supporters meet Trump supporters

As the large crowd began to exit, a group of two dozen Trump supporters had been standing for hours at the southwest corner of East Bidwell Street and Scholar Way. They waved flags and solicited signatures for another attempt to recall Governor Newsom. Every few minutes large pick-up trucks carrying Trump flags blew off air horns while circling around the area.

When the signal lights changed to green, Bernie/AOC supporters traded verbal jabs with Trump supporters as they crossed the intersection. The police across the street said there had been no problems. “Everybody is yelling at each other, but that’s all,” said one patrolman.

“A teacher walked with me through the MAGA supporters,” said Marquis, “because she saw my non-binary flag and didn’t want me to face them alone.”

After spotting our News & Review press pass, a few Trump supporters made rude comments about the news media. One man’s statement was so vulgar it can’t be printed. But another Trump supporter who stood waving a giant flag was willing to give his name and offer his reasons for counter-demonstrating.

“They’re doing too much, the Democrats,” said local resident Jason Jones. “I got a daughter. I don’t care what your pronouns are, you walk into a bathroom with my 12-year old daughter and I’m going to break your fucking ass.”

Without using the word “trans,” Jones elaborated on his views of the LGBTQ+ community: “You want to look like a weirdo in a dress, go ahead. I got gay friends, we used to go to the Rocky Horror Picture Show every weekend.”

But the issue of who uses which bathroom wasn’t Jones’ only concern, just the one he mentioned the most.

“That’s one of the main ones, they’re just weird,” Jones continued. “Everything from their little sex laws and bathroom laws to, like, letting the whole world in here. We’ve got to deal with our shit.”

One Trump supporter said he walked up to the rally “and I didn’t see one American flag!” Nevertheless, a Bernie supporter passing by thanked him for increasing the attendance numbers.

Like many rally attendees, Marquis left the event feeling a little better about the future for their community and in general.

“Thirty thousand people from this area showed up to support them, to support me,” Marquis reflected. “There’s a lot of people fighting against fascism and oligarchy, and standing up for queer people and people of color.”