In many of the “red” states, Democratic Party candidates are trying to pretend they are moderates, so they did not want to be affiliated with the far-left base of their party. As a result, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico of Texas did not attend any “No Kings” rallies in their states.
However, neither Ossoff nor Talarico is a moderate politician. There is “not a dime’s worth of difference” between the far-left activists at the “No Kings” rallies and most Democratic Party candidates running in the 2026 midterm election.
In fact, the only real moderate among major Democratic Party officeholders today, U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), is not on the ballot this year.
Another reason Democratic Party candidates stayed away from the rallies is that they knew few people would attend. Rhein Amacher, a conservative commentator, labeled the “No Kings” rally in Portland, Oregon, “an absolute embarrassment.” He posted on social media, “For all the non-stop screeching, manufactured outrage, and media hype, the turnout looked pathetic, and the enthusiasm was practically nonexistent. The anti-Trump resistance is looking more like a retirement parade for a dying political movement.”
Andrew Kolvet, Turning Point USA spokesman, posted that “they emptied out the nursing home” for the “No Kings” rally in Northwest Arkansas. According to Kolvet, the rally featured “the Raging Grannies of Northwest Arkansas. Sun hats. Folding chairs. Song sheets. Little American flags. A walker in the back.”
It was even more bizarre at the “No Kings” rally in Arlington, Virginia. Among the speakers at the sparsely attended event was a drag queen who spoke about “Our America.”
The “No Kings” rallies involve “a network of about 500 organizations.” The sponsors have “an estimated $3 billion in combined annual revenues.” In St. Paul, Minnesota, one of their event coordinators is an organization “funded by billionaire George Soros.”