A political rally headlined by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) in Denver is now under fire after a data analysis revealed most of the crowd consisted of long-time left-wing activists. While organizers boasted of 34,000 attendees, mobile tracking data shows that the actual number was significantly lower and that many attendees had participated in numerous prior demonstrations.

Using smartphone tracking data and behavioral analysis, data analyst Tony Seruga found that 20,189 unique devices were present at the Denver event. Roughly 84% of those devices had also appeared at nine or more protests supporting causes including Kamala Harris, pro-Palestinian movements and Antifa-aligned groups.

https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1903936132494024726

Seruga’s breakdown also showed that about 31% of those attendees had shown up at more than 20 such rallies, suggesting a pattern of repeated participation. The data suggests that the crowd may not have been a spontaneous grassroots surge, but rather an organized turnout from activist groups with consistent ties to leftist causes.

The groups connected to those in attendance include the Democratic Socialists of America, Indivisible Project, Troublemakers, Disruption Project and Rise & Resist. Seruga stated that roughly 90% of the devices belonging to the 84% cohort had been in proximity to organizers or funders linked to one of those five groups.

https://twitter.com/TonySeruga/status/1903677337406992400

Funding trails for these activist organizations show connections to ActBlue, and in some cases, indirect ties to U.S. government-linked entities such as USAID. The Disruption Project’s legal status remains unclear, while the others are registered as nonprofits or for-profit operations.

The Democratic Party has used similar tactics before. During Kamala Harris’ 2024 campaign, bussed-in activists were used to fill event spaces, creating the appearance of strong public backing. The same playbook appears to have been used in Denver.

https://twitter.com/mandala_mandy/status/1903915580815720938

The rally took place amid fresh polling showing the Democratic Party’s favorability rating hitting a new low. CNN reported that approval had fallen to 27%, prompting party leaders to attempt new efforts to shift public perception.
Drone images circulated widely on social media appeared to support the large crowd claims, though device-level analysis tells a different story.

https://twitter.com/VoteHarrisOut/status/1903965784600350732

https://twitter.com/its_The_Dr/status/1904000049941823998