Bernie Sanders brings the ‘Fight Oligarchy’ tour to West Virginia
WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Fighting Oligarchy” tour on Friday was kicking off its latest swing in West Virginia, where the Vermont independent and former presidential contender pledges to target “deep red districts” and rural communities.
The first stop by the progressive leader was in Wheeling, W.Va., a little more than an hour drive southwest of Pittsburgh on Friday, according to a Sanders campaign announcement. Sanders will follow with rallies in Lenore and Charleston before moving on to North Carolina.
The trip — Sanders’ first since President Donald Trump signed the so-called “big beautiful bill” into law — comes a few months after the senator rallied in Harrisburg and just two weeks after Vice President JD Vance touted the contentious tax and spending plan in his home state of Ohio.
The senator’s visit to Appalachia also comes as the Democratic Party seeks to define itself and win over voters ahead of the 2026 midterms, with continued debate between the progressive and more moderate wings. The party has touted its efforts to recruit young candidates at a time when the GOP boasts plenty of young talent and increasing Republican registration in battlegrounds like Pennsylvania.
For Sanders — much like his populist presidential campaigns — the tour aims to resonate with a broad swath of working class voters, attacking what Sanders and allies decry as the “takeover” of the federal government by billionaires and corporations and the country’s shift “toward authoritarianism.”
“Red state, blue state — the people of this country are opposed to an economy that works for the 1% and not for working class Americans,” Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said in a statement. “I'll be heading to West Virginia and North Carolina to discuss the need for decent paying jobs, health care for all, and the end of a corrupt campaign finance system in which billionaires buy politicians. Together, we can defeat the oligarchs who have taken hold of our country.”
