John,
On Saturday, Texans gathered together throughout the state for No Kings rallies, protests, and marches. There were massive crowds in the areas you might expect but also a big showing in more rural, heavily Republican communities, and towns that didn’t have an event during the first No Kings day.
I was on the ground in Austin and I’ve got to tell you, the energy was electric. People came from all over central Texas to stand together, shoulder to shoulder, and make one thing clear: we will not bend the knee to authoritarianism. Not now, not ever.
The turnout was incredible. Texans—young and old, lifelong Democrats, independents, former Republicans, current Republicans who want their party back, and first-time voters—came to say with one voice that this country belongs to all of us, not to a handful of powerful people trying to control our future.
In that crowd, you could feel the strength of who we are—people who remember where we come from and what we’re made of. We are the descendants of those who stood up to the most powerful empire on the planet to win our independence, to ensure that no American would ever bow to a king again. We are also the descendants of those who defeated fascism half a world away in the 1940s and the heroes who marched, sat in, and protested to win the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.
And that spirit—that belief in freedom, fairness, and opportunity—is exactly what will carry us through this moment. We’ve faced great challenges before, and we’ve come through every single one of them by standing together. This time will be no different.
We are united. We are fighting for the ideal that is America—replacing the false virtues of this current regime with true freedom, real fairness, shared prosperity, and opportunity for every single American.
So I’ll ask you what I asked everyone in Austin: Are we going to stay united? Are we going to fight every single day until we win the elections in November 2026? Are we ever going to give in, give up, or roll over?
We’re going to fight—and we’re going to win.
That’s what Powered by People is about. Building a movement that doesn’t wait for permission, that doesn’t back down, and that organizes on the ground in every part of Texas until every voter has a voice.
Beto O’Rourke
