Suburban residents in the United States are increasingly positioning themselves as organizers and marchers for No Kings protests this weekend, extending anti-Trump activism beyond major cities and into affluent communities. In northern New Jersey, some participants described an abrupt shift from local civic involvement to direct protest organizing as they sought to counter what they described as threats to American democracy. Allison Posner, who said she previously was “barely involved in politics,” described handing out food and diapers to immigrant families near a detention facility and waving signs from a highway overpass before planning to lead a No Kings march through her town.
Posner said she was seeing involvement from people she associated with traditional suburban civic groups. She said, “The people in the suburbs are definitely radicalizing,” and described growing engagement from neighbors, including people “from the PTA or the neighborhood who would have never joined a protest in the past, who are now asking how they can get involved.” Posner said, “This is not some other people’s fight. This is our fight.”
Organizers said the demonstrations are set for a wide geographic reach. Indivisible, which is spearheading the third round of No Kings protests, said it expects more than 9 million people nationwide and described the planned demonstrations as among the largest day of protesting in U.S. history. The group also said it expects roughly two-thirds of more than 3,000 planned demonstrations to take place outside urban areas, with organizers pointing to suburban locations including Scottsdale, Arizona; Langhorne, Pennsylvania; and East Cobb, Georgia.
Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin said, “We’re going to be everywhere,” in describing the campaign’s approach to building momentum across the country. Organizers said sign-ups have been especially enthusiastic in suburban areas tied to high-profile congressional contests, including in northern New Jersey’s 11th District, which holds a special election on April 16. MSI previously reported on the wider pattern of protest activity and political mobilization this spring across Europe and other regions amid votes and policy disputes, as activists sought to expand pressure beyond capitals.
The suburban push is playing out alongside a competitive political race in New Jersey’s 11th District. Democratic voters last month chose Analilia Mejia, a former political director for independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, as their candidate to replace Mikie Sherrill, a more moderate Democrat who was recently elected as New Jersey’s governor. The Democratic primary field included other contenders described by the reporting as more moderate, including former congressman Tom Malinowski, whom Mejia defeated, according to the account.
Mejia presents herself as a progressive candidate with a record rooted in activism. The reporting described her as endorsed by Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and said she has criticized Israel’s war in Gaza, called for the abolition of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and backed Medicare for All. The story also said Mejia plans to be a featured speaker at a No Kings protest this weekend and framed the issue as one involving the direction of democracy and government power. In an interview, Mejia said, “A ZIP code does not protect anyone from rising violent authoritarianism.”
Mejia has also defended her public positions in a campaign marked by controversy, including questions raised by her critics about her views on Israel and antisemitism. The reporting described her as accusing in the war in Gaza and saying she rejects the claim that taking a position against what she described as genocide is antisemitic. She said, “When I say Palestinians have rights, like Jewish people and Israelis have rights, that is not antisemitism, that is humanism,” while also acknowledging antisemitism within both major parties. She added, “I am an Afro Latina raising two Black sons in America. I know othering kills. I know how dangerous it is when we dehumanize communities.”
While Mejia’s supporters describe her as a persuasive voice for suburban activism, her Republican opponent is trying to cast the race as a referendum on whether voters want candidates labeled as too far to the left. The Republican nominee in the special election and a town councilman from Randolph Township, Joe Hathaway, is described as hoping to convince voters that Mejia is too radical. The reporting also said Republican strategists in Washington are concerned that the Democratic surge of progressive challengers in districts that have historically favored moderation could help Republicans maintain a slim House majority.
Hathaway’s campaign message included a description of local priorities. In an interview, the story reported, Hathaway initially declined to say whether he voted for Donald Trump, and then acknowledged that he cast his ballot for the president three times. Hathaway also said, “This job is representing the district. NJ-11 comes first, before a president, before your party,” while laying out areas of support and disagreement on policy and oversight. He backed the president’s war in Iran and many economic policies described as part of Trump’s tax and spending agenda, but also highlighted disagreements and said he supports congressional efforts to reassert checks and balances.
The reporting described Hathaway as calling Trump’s use of executive authority “pressure testing” the checks and balances in the Constitution and saying, “Congress needs to reassert that it is the first branch of government and take more of a leadership role than it’s been doing.” The story also described his positions in the context of a Department of Homeland Security shutdown dispute, including support for proposals to require federal immigration agents to wear body cameras and identify themselves, take off face masks, and receive better training.
The broader picture behind the No Kings protests is a political shift described as increasingly visible in suburban communities. Gallup polling tracked party affiliation over time, and the reporting said Trump was unable to stop the suburban move away from Republicans, including in the 2020 presidential election in which Democrat Joe Biden won 54% of voters who said they lived in the suburbs, while Trump won 44%. The story also cited AP VoteCast findings about education and race, saying college-educated suburban voters and non-white suburban voters were much likelier to support the Democratic candidate in both of the past two presidential elections.
In affluent towns, some residents described feeling that the country’s political conflict had entered their neighborhoods. Jeff Naiman, a Summit, New Jersey radiologist who leads a local Indivisible chapter, described the effect of what he described as Trump’s influence on local politics and said he does not expect Summit to shift back toward Republicans while “Trumpism is around.” In describing his activism, Naiman said, “It’s like our hair is on fire,” and characterized the country as being “torn apart,” while saying he believes Mejia will win the special election and again in November’s general election.
This story has been corrected to show the special election in New Jersey’s 11th District is on April 16, not April 7.
Associated Press polling editor Amelia Thomson DeVeaux in Washington contributed.