WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Fighting Oligarchy” tour on Friday was kicking off its latest swing in West Virginia, where the Vermont independent and former presidential contender pledges to target “deep red districts” and rural communities.

The first stop by the progressive leader was in Wheeling, West Virginia, a little more than an hour drive southwest of Pittsburgh on Friday, according to a Sanders campaign announcement shared with the Post-Gazette. Sanders will follow with rallies in Lenore and Charleston before moving on to North Carolina.

The trip — Sanders’ first since President Donald Trump signed the so-called “big beautiful bill” into law — comes a few months after the senator rallied in Harrisburg and just two weeks after Vice President JD Vance touted the contentious tax and spending plan in his home state of Ohio.

The senator’s visit to Appalachia also comes as the Democratic Party seeks to define itself and win over voters ahead of the 2026 midterms, with continued debate between the progressive and more moderate wings. The party has touted its efforts to recruit young candidates at a time when the GOP boasts plenty of young talent and increasing Republican registration in battlegrounds like Pennsylvania.

For Sanders — much like his populist presidential campaigns — the tour aims to resonate with a broad swath of working class voters, attacking what Sanders and allies decry as the “takeover” of the federal government by billionaires and corporations and the country’s shift “toward authoritarianism.”

"Red state, blue state — the people of this country are opposed to an economy that works for the 1% and not for working class Americans,” Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said in a statement. "I'll be heading to West Virginia and North Carolina to discuss the need for decent paying jobs, health care for all, and the end of a corrupt campaign finance system in which billionaires buy politicians. Together, we can defeat the oligarchs who have taken hold of our country."

Sanders, who was endorsed for president in 2020 by Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato and Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, has been joined on the tour by prominent labor leaders and progressive lawmakers such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has also been a staunch supporter of Sanders in years past, but he’s drawn criticism from progressives and moderate Democrats alike this year. The Pennsylvania senator shrugged off the perception of a divided Democratic Party when asked by reporters last week if it was hard for Democrats to reach centrists when the left wing gets more attention.

“Bernie is Bernie,” he said. “And he is absolutely entitled to his own views. And now we increasingly don’t agree on those kinds of issues ... I think he would respect my own [views] as well.”

Fetterman has fought against the Trump administration and Republicans on transgender policy and the tax and spending bill, which he said hurts people on Medicaid and food assistance. But he has also supported the White House on a number of fronts, frustrated progressives who disagree with his strong pro-Israel stance, and frequently criticized his own party in the wake of anti-Trump protests.

Sanders’ team says more than 270,000 Americans have turned out in record crowds during the cross-country tour. So far, the senator has helped lead 24 rallies across 15 states, including key swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona.

Sanders makes the case that it’s not just Democrats or progressives fed up with the Trump administration, the Republican-led Congress, or the bloated campaign finance playbook both parties have adhered to for years.

“More than two-thirds of RSVPs to the tour come from people who are new to Sen. Sanders’ list,” his campaign said. “About a third of them are NOT registered Democrats.”

Beyond rallying, Sanders is helping lead ongoing Democratic efforts around recruitment and organization, his team says. More than 7,000 people engaged with the senator’s campaign have expressed interest to run for office themselves — half of them as independents. The Sanders campaign told the Post-Gazette on Thursday that at least 265 of their recruits are from the Keystone State.

He’s also been hiring organizers and helping set up town halls, office visits and canvassing “across more than 30 key congressional districts in 20 states,” his campaign says.

Last week, the progressive group Run for Something told the Post-Gazette that more than 60,000 people had expressed interest in running since Trump’s election in November, with 2,500 from Pennsylvania alone this year.

Meanwhile, Democratic elected officials across the progressive-moderate divide, including Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, have joined Majority Democrats, a new group seeking to reshape the party, recruit candidates and help win back majorities.

Vance, whom Trump has tasked with promoting the tax and spending bill that passed Congress without any Democratic support, told steelworkers in a Canton, Ohio, plant earlier this week that the bill and the president’s economic policies would save them hard-earned money.

“For 40 years, while those great American factories closed their doors, we know what went right along with them: it was great American jobs, it was great American dignity and it was great American wages," he said. "We know that because we're making smarter decisions in Washington, D.C. We're going to reward all of you for the great work that you're doing and we're going to reward American companies for investing in American companies, not foreign workers for a change.”

Democrats and nonpartisan analysts say the “big beautiful” law will leave millions of Americans without their Medicaid or other health insurance, or their federal food assistance. They also argue the bill will undercut rural hospitals and increase the national debt.

But Republicans tout the bill’s tax cuts for families and businesses, and billions of dollars in investments in defense and border security. They also say the bill strengthens rules for Medicaid and federal food aid, and that people who were meant to benefit from those programs will not lose coverage.

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