by John Cole, Pennsylvania Capital-Star
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ three-day swing through Pennsylvania started on Thursday as he continues his nationwide tour, speaking out against President Donald Trump.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) (Capital-Star photo)
On Thursday afternoon, Sanders was to join the Philadelphia AFL-CIO at City Hall for the group’s May Day 2025 rally.
“Join labor, immigrant, and community organizations united, with special guest Senator Bernie Sanders, to say invest in people, not the billionaires,” the Philadelphia AFL-CIO writes in an online sign-up sheet for the event. “We are united and rising up for a world that works for all of us, not just Elon Musk and his cronies.”
The rally in Philadelphia, scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m., was set to be followed by a march.
On Friday afternoon, Sanders will take his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour to Harrisburg at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex. The following day, he will lead another rally at Lehigh University in Bethlehem.
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-17th District), who represents a district in western Pennsylvania, will join Sanders at the rallies on Friday and Saturday. Musical performances are also scheduled before both events.
In February, Sanders began this tour with a gathering in Nebraska and has since visited several states across the country. He has been promoting the events as, “hitting the road to have real discussions across America on how we move forward to take on the Oligarchs and corporate interests who have so much power and influence in this country.”
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has been present at several events with Sanders, although she is not scheduled to participate in any of the Pennsylvania stops this week.
Sanders visit to the Keystone States comes as President Trump wrapped up the 100th day of his second term in the Oval Office.
Trump won Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes over Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election.
Although Sanders will be in the Democratic stronghold of Philadelphia on Thursday, his visit to Harrisburg and Bethlehem are both in congressional districts represented by U.S. Reps. Ryan Mackenzie and Scott Perry, both Republicans.
According to the Cook Political Report, a national ratings outlet, both Mackenzie and Perry are currently the only races in Pennsylvania in 2026 they describe as a “toss up.”
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