A lengthy procession of demonstrators swept through the streets of downtown Chicago Saturday afternoon, with homemade signs and American flags held high, fluttering overhead. As the crowd marched East on Adams Street, drums and the group’s rallying cry echoed off the surrounding buildings: “This is what a blue wave looks like.”
Saturday’s demonstration in the Loop, “The People Have Spoken” Rally and March, came just days after Democrats’ major wins in the midterm elections. On Tuesday night, Democrats regained control of both houses of the U.S. Congress.
Some newly elected Democratic leaders took their wins in historically Republican districts across the country. In Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker was re-elected for a third term, and Senator-elect Juliana Stratton’s win made the state the first to be represented in the U.S. Senate by two women of color at the same time.
Before the march began, newly elected U.S. Rep.-elect Daniel Biss, of Illinois’s 9th Congressional District and former Evanston mayor, took to the microphone at Federal Plaza to encourage Chicago demonstrators not to let up the pressure.
“The election was an incredible repudiation,” Biss said to the crowd. “You all did your job; now it’s time for people like me to do our jobs.”
With Tuesday night’s stunning election victories behind them, the mood of demonstrators at Saturday’s rally felt celebratory in comparison with previous marches that countered actions by the Trump administration. The demonstrators, many of whom have attended regular rallies for years, said that what made Saturday’s different was a renewed sense of optimism and joy.
“There’s a sense of hope that things can get better,” said Julie Ewart, 62, of Morton Grove, who carried a sign that read, “The real work begins now.”
“I do think it’s important for people to understand that this is just a starting point,” Ewart said. “The hard work, really hard work, is yet to come.”
Indivisible Chicago Alliance, an organizer of Saturday’s demonstration, is the same group that led the large “No Kings” protests in the Loop in 2025.
Unlike “No Kings,” Saturday’s rally was forward-looking rather than reactive, said Larra Clark, 56, of Rogers Park. She marches to demand action on issues that were central to the midterm elections, including immigration policy, affordability and the U.S. conflict in Iran.
“People spoke up. And people are here to say that we’re not going anywhere.” Clark said. “This is an ongoing commitment to our democracy; it’s not just reacting to all the negative, terrible policies that have harmed our communities. It’s also about our vision for the future.”
