After Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez discussed the size of their recent political rally in Denver, Colorado, a data expert and entrepreneur raised doubts about the size and supposed grassroots nature of the crowd.
Sanders claimed that the Friday rally, which was part of a tour against government efficiency initiatives and the influence of technology billionaires like Elon Musk on the Trump administration, was his most attended event ever, according to a report from The Colorado Sun.
“The video speaks for itself. 34,000 people out in Denver. Largest political rally there since 2008,” Sanders wrote on social media alongside footage of the crowd.
“The message is clear: NO to authoritarianism. NO to oligarchy. NO to Trumpism. We are ready to fight back. Now it’s on to Tucson.”
The video speaks for itself.
34,000 people out in Denver. Largest political rally there since 2008.
The message is clear:
NO to authoritarianism. NO to oligarchy. NO to Trumpism.
We are ready to fight back.
Now it’s on to Tucson. pic.twitter.com/LICIDzrWTZ
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 22, 2025
Ocasio-Cortez also boasted about the size of the rallies, which she claimed attracted “86,000 people in three days.”
“At our first stop alone, half the crowd were brand new people not previously on any of list or contact. Many were first timers,” she wrote.
“What is happening right now is different. We must use this moment to fight back and defend our democracy.”
86,000 people in three days.
At our first stop alone, half the crowd were brand new people not previously on any of list or contact. Many were first timers.
What is happening right now is different. We must use this moment to fight back and defend our democracy. https://t.co/szlFJuAMcm
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 23, 2025
Do you think Democrats are secretly paying people to show up and cheer Dems and protest Republicans?
But Tony Seruga, an entrepreneur and data expert, questioned the claim on social media, asserting that a substantial number of devices present at the rally in Denver were also present at other Democratic political events.
According to GPS, there were only 20,189 devices at the rally, meaning the crowd size appeared to be smaller than what Sanders had claimed.
Seruga said that “84% of the devices present had attended 9 or more Kamala Harris rallies, antifa/blm, pro-Hamas, pro-Palestinian protests,” while “31% had attended over 20.”
He added that beyond GPS data, he looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Pew Research Center, market research firms like YouGov, and social media platforms like X for psychographic data that can reveal “sensitive personal details” such as beliefs and life goals.
GPS—Here we go again, there were 20,189 devices. Still a large crowd but not even close to the 30,000 quoted in Denver newspapers nor the 34,000 quoted by Bernie Sanders and AOC.
84% of the devices present had attended 9 or more Kamala Harris rallies, antifa/blm, pro-Hamas,… https://t.co/zQuvc0ATx5
— Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) March 23, 2025
Seruga therefore claimed that some “90% of those in the above 84%” of repeat rally attendees were likely working with one of five progressive groups: Disruption Project, Rise & Resist, Indivisible Project, Troublemakers, and the Democratic Socialists of America.
“This is based [on] a very sophisticated algorithm that looks at the behavioral metrics for each device, including the physical 1:1 proximity to leaders and paymasters from these groups in the past,” he emphasized.
“Each receives money from ActBlue and at least three, via USAID.”
Musk himself shared a summary of the analysis, asserting that “the Dems just move around the same group of paid ‘protesters.’”
Though Seruga did not share the details of his analysis on social media, other progressive interests have been known to financially incentivize left-wing protests on issues like the war between Israel and Gaza, as well as climate change.
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