In Pennsylvania, a state steeped in blue-collar pride, thousands gathered at the Pennsylvania Farm Show complex to hear Sen. Bernie Sanders rail against government corruption. The event, held in the heart of the Keystone State, drew a crowd frustrated by economic stagnation and wealth disparities, yet it also revealed the steep climb radical socialists face in winning over mainstream America.
Sanders was joined by Rep. Chris Deluzio, a Pittsburgh-born Iraq War veteran who secured his competitive District 17 seat with a pro-worker platform. State Rep. Nate Davidson and labor union leaders also spoke, amplifying the message of economic fairness. But for all the passion in the room, the specter of electoral reality loomed large—Americans, particularly in swing states like Pennsylvania, have repeatedly signaled skepticism toward the far-left vision championed by Sanders and figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Attendees cited varied grievances, from distrust in President Donald Trump to exasperation with a system that seems to favor the ultra-wealthy. Two issues dominated: frustration with Trump’s leadership and anger over an economy where the middle class feels squeezed. Yet, even as Sanders’ rhetoric struck a chord, the appeal of his solutions remains limited in a nation wary of sweeping ideological shifts.
“I think if you’re someone who’s my age or younger, you have seen the American dream or something like it be ripped up,” said Deluzio. “It’s a big thing in this country to say that if you’re 40 or younger, you shouldn’t expect to be better off than your parents.” His words resonated with a generation grappling with stagnant wages and soaring costs, but they also echoed Trump’s own campaign messaging, which drew massive crowds to the same venue just weeks after surviving an assassination attempt on July 13 in Butler.
Trump’s rallies, marked by a sea of red Make America Great Again hats, tapped into a similar vein of working-class discontent. His 2016 slogan encapsulated the frustrations of voters who feel cheated by a system skewed toward elites. In 2024, Pennsylvania swung decisively for Trump, with Republicans sweeping state row offices, a sign that his message of disruption still holds sway over the socialist alternative.
Sanders, however, sees the problem differently. He points to millionaires and billionaires—including business tycoons like Trump—as central to the nation’s woes. In his speech, he noted that despite soaring productivity over the past 50 years, workers earn less in real terms than they did in 1973, while CEOs rake in 350 times their employees’ pay. This stark disparity fuels his call for systemic overhaul, but it’s a tough sell in a country where capitalism, however flawed, remains a cultural cornerstone. Especially when the history books have been, at best, unkind to socialism. At worst, socialism and communism represent two of the worst evils known to man.
“That is what’s going on in America today – very rich becoming unbelievably rich while, at the same time – again, hard to believe – in the richest country on Earth, 60% of our people are living paycheck to paycheck,” said Sanders. The crowd roared in agreement, but translating that energy into votes for radical change has proven elusive. Many Americans, even those struggling, view socialism with suspicion, associating it with government overreach or economic stagnation.
Sanders’ call-and-response with the audience laid bare the daily struggles of ordinary people. When asked about financial burdens, attendees cited housing, student debt, medical bills, prescription costs, utilities, and groceries. These pressures define the modern economic reality, a far cry from the prosperous middle class of decades past. Yet, for many voters, the solution lies not in Sanders’ socialist vision but in the populist promises of figures like Trump.
“Unions built the middle class, and the middle class built America. It was built with our hands and our sweat and our blood and our sacrifice,” said Jim Enders, president of the Central PA Building Trades. “We created the strongest economy this world has ever known, not billionaires, not CEOs. Working people made America.” His words stirred the crowd, but they also revealed a tension: the same workers who built America often align with conservative values over progressive ideals.
The speakers argued that economic woes predate Trump and span both parties, with corporate interests dominating policymaking. They see the current administration as exposing a decades-long erosion of the middle class. But while Sanders and his allies critique the system, their solutions—rooted in wealth redistribution and government expansion—struggle to gain traction in a nation that prizes individual opportunity and distrusts centralized control.
“I guess my concern is that I don’t believe that the people in the White House have the best interests of the American people in mind, that they’re, you know, they’re selling the idea that they’re trying to make things more efficient and raise up the lives of working class people, but everything that they’re irmãos doing is making it less likely that that is going to happen,” said Jean Najjar, an attendee from State College. Her skepticism of Trump’s administration mirrors the distrust many feel toward establishment Democrats, leaving the far left in a precarious position.
Elon Musk, who spent over $270 million on Trump’s 2024 campaign and was appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, embodies the fusion of wealth and political influence that Sanders decries. Musk’s actions, including offering Pennsylvania voters $100 checks for signing a petition, fueled perceptions of elite manipulation. Yet, Musk’s appeal to innovation and disruption resonates more with voters than Sanders’ calls for systemic upheaval.
“I am [also] angry with the tech billionaires because technology came with a revolutionary face and they were promising that, like, hey, we are gonna be the voice of the voiceless, and people are going to have a voice, because technology is going to give you those opportunities,” said Ilhan Kucukaydin, an attendee from Harrisburg. “Now, they have become the apparatus of the fascist state.” Her frustration captures the disillusionment with both corporate elites and the political system, but it doesn’t necessarily translate to support for socialism.
Pennsylvania’s steel mills and blue-collar ethos seem worlds apart from the billionaire class, yet the state’s voters backed Trump in 2024. “I think the overlap is that people are tired of the same old same-old and want change, and people might just be confused about how to go about that change,” said Ryan Hazel of Hershey, who called Trump and Sanders “polar opposites.” This confusion benefits Republicans, who have capitalized on cultural wedge issues to peel away working-class voters.
The Democratic Party’s struggle to reconnect with these voters is evident. A recent poll found uncertainty about its leadership, with progressives like Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders generating enthusiasm among the base but alienating moderates. The party’s 2024 strategy of courting centrist Republicans at the expense of its left flank further muddled its identity, leaving figures like Sanders to fight an uphill battle in defining the party’s future.
“The leader of the House Democrats is Hakeem Jeffries. And I say that to mean the national leader of the Democrats will be whomever our presidential nominee is in 2028,” said Deluzio. “That means that there’s, I think, a debate about ideas and a debate about the future of the party that’s playing out right now. I think what I and the senator did tonight is part of that.” For now, that debate seems unlikely to elevate radical socialists to national prominence, as Americans remain wary of their vision for change.
What do you think about the Democrat Socialists like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders? Are they too radical for America’s long history of free markets, separation of government, and the private sector? Let us know what you think in the comments below.