On Saturday, March 22, 2025, the football stadium at Catalina High School in Tucson, Arizona, roared with energy as an estimated 20,000 people gathered for the final stop of the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. Headlined by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, alongside Representative Greg Casar of Texas, the rally drew a massive crowd of progressives eager to hear a bold message against wealth inequality and corporate power in the early days of Donald Trump’s second term.
The event wasn’t just a speech—it was a call to action. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, two of the most prominent voices on the American left, took aim at billionaires like Elon Musk, accusing them of buying influence in politics and eroding democracy. “Does anybody think it makes sense that one man, Musk, can put $270 million to get Trump elected, and then his reward is that he becomes the most powerful person in government?” Sanders asked the crowd. “That is not democracy, that is oligarchy.” His words struck a chord with the thousands who cheered in agreement, fed up with a system they see as rigged for the rich.
AOC echoed Sanders’ fire, zeroing in on Arizona Republicans who recently voted for a budget resolution that could slash over $880 billion from Medicaid over the next decade. “Every single Republican in Arizona voted to cut Medicaid. Not an accusation, it was their vote,” she said sharply, highlighting the real-world impact of these cuts. Jay Croswell, a physical therapist from Tucson’s El Rio Health Center, spoke earlier about how slashing Medicaid doesn’t make patients’ needs disappear—it just dumps the burden onto already-struggling hospitals.
The rally came at a tense time for Democrats. A new CNN poll shows their favorability at a dismal 29%, with many left-leaning voters—like Natalie Callahan, who attended the event—frustrated by the party’s weak response to Trump’s agenda. “It’s so incredibly frustrating to lose to such a horrible candidate again, and then just still getting fundraiser texts and emails from Democratic officials that aren’t doing anything,” Callahan said. For her and others, Sanders and AOC offered a glimmer of hope—a plan to fight back by supporting unions, electing progressive local leaders, and taking on “Trumpism and the billionaire class,” as Sanders put it.
The crowd wasn’t just there for politics; they came for community. Miguel Franco, a disabled veteran, said, “This isn’t the government or the country that I went overseas for. I’m here to throw my support against those who are trying to protect us.” Others, like 21-year-old Ray Alade, a Black woman who feels uncertain in “Trump’s America,” found comfort in seeing leaders and young people who care. Her friend Rebekah Kimme, a new teacher with Teach for America, worried about job security and her students’ futures if federal education cuts go through. “These cuts dissuade current and future teachers from pursuing their careers,” she said.
Sanders and AOC also took a moment to honor the late Representative Raúl Grijalva, a Tucson Democrat who passed away on March 13. Grijalva was a trailblazer for both—he endorsed Sanders’ 2015 presidential run when few dared to, and he welcomed AOC to Congress when she faced hostility as a newcomer. “Raúl Grijalva was the first person to open his door to me, and he said, ‘you belong here,’” AOC recalled. Sanders added, “He had the guts to take on the whole Democratic establishment.” Grijalva’s daughter, Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, also spoke, vowing to carry on her father’s fight: “This bro-ligarchy has got to go.”
The rally wasn’t without its critics. Representative Juan Ciscomani, a Tucson Republican, dismissed the event as a “show” to “peddle lies,” claiming Sanders and AOC were out of touch with his constituents. But the duo brushed off such attacks. “If you can’t take criticism, get out of politics,” Sanders shot back at Trump and his allies. AOC stressed that Arizona—and Tucson in particular—plays a key role in the resistance, pointing to the state’s senators who voted against the spending cuts when others “caved.”
As the event closed, Sanders updated a famous line from Abraham Lincoln: “What Americans are currently facing is a government of the billionaires, by the billionaires, for the billionaires.” He reminded the crowd of America’s revolutionary roots—no kings, no bowing to the powerful. “We are not going to let Trump undermine 250 years of this country being a model of democracy,” he declared. Then, with a grin, he added, “I don’t have a PhD in math, but I do know this: 99 percent is a hell of a bigger number than 1 percent.” The stadium erupted.
For Tucson’s progressives, the rally was more than a speech—it was a spark. With Sanders and AOC leading the charge, they’re ready to take on the oligarchy, one fight at a time.
