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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — On South Washington Street, Nayely Cruz Hernandez, a 26-year-old environmental engineer, had a simple message for voters as she joined a phalanx of protesters lining the street for nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations against President Donald Trump: “Vote blue.”
“We need to take power away from Trump and the Republicans,” Hernandez told Fox News Digital. “So we have to win the House, we have to win the Senate, not only in Virginia, but across the country.”
Standing next to her boyfriend, Noah Schwarzott, 25, their 13-year-old Maltese poodle, Maybellene, in his arms, Hernandez acknowledged that No Kings’ national organizers had their own rules for the protests to be “nonpartisan,” but she wasn’t following orders.
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Protesters gather in Alexandria, Virginia, as part of the nationwide “No Kings” protest, October 17, 2026. (Asra Q. Nomani/Fox News Digital)
“The No King organizers can say anything,” she said. “But I say vote blue, because why are we here? Who’s in the House? Who’s in the Senate? Who’s the President? It’s red, it’s the Republicans and it’s Trump.”
A Fox News Digital investigation documented about 300 organizations with $2.5 billion in combined annual revenue behind the “No Kings” protest network, including Democratic-aligned advocacy groups, major unions and nonprofits, including MoveOn, the American Federation of Teachers and the ACLU.
Cruz Hernandez finished by introducing Maybellene and saying the dog was “telling you to vote for Don Beyer,” a Democratic congressman who represents Alexandria, Arlington and other Northern Virginia communities.
The position of national organizers is that the October 17 events must be “non-partisan.” This is to comply with federal laws that regulate nonprofit organizations that fund No Kings protests.
Crowds gather in Alexandria, Virginia, for the “No Kings” protest. (Asra Q. Nomani/Fox News Digital)
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His comments directly contradicted written instructions from the national organization “No Kings” and its leaders at the nonprofit Indivisible, prohibiting calls to “vote blue,” elect Democrats or support candidates, and target individuals.
Nearby, a man held a sign from a far-left group titled “Refuse Fascism” with another message defying organizers’ directives: “TRUMP MUST LEAVE NOW!” Another man held an inflatable balloon mocking Trump as a baby in a diaper. Another sign read “86 47,” the controversial message that former FBI Director James Comey posted on social media that federal prosecutors considered a clear threat against Trump.
As the young couple cheered at honking cars, Eunic Epstein-Ortiz, national spokesperson for No Kings, called into Fox News Digital to insist that “No Kings” is a “nonpartisan, peaceful movement that has brought millions of Americans together to stand up for democracy, defend our freedoms and reject authoritarianism.”
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Epstein-Ortiz said a Fox News DIgital investigation found that “No Kings” events from Maine to Oregon were clearly partisan: “We are aware of partisan events circulating online that are not affiliated with or officially organized by No Kings. Many people use the name No Kings as a rallying cry.
But, in this case, the South Washington Street protest was an official “No Kings” event, announced on the organizers’ official website.
“No Kings” organizers provide a list of “Do” and “Don’t” warnings for their October 17, 2025 election event. (No kings)
Among the demonstrators, a woman beamed while brandishing an explicit sign on the demonstration program: “THE USA needs a big, beautiful blue wave.”
But hours after the Alexandria protest, Fox News Digital encountered another protester marching on H Street NW, near the White House, who openly rejected that nonpartisan characterization. She walked the runway at an official “No Kings” event.
Nadine Seiler, a self-described “professional protester” recently mentioned by Trump, was asked if she agreed with organizers’ insistence that the protest was nonpartisan.
“No, no, people who agree with Trump are not here,” Seiler responded from behind an inflatable costume. “So it will never be non-partisan if it is resistance to the fascist regime.”
“They can pretend, but that’s not the case,” she added.
“No Kings” organizers provide list of “no-events” for their October 17, 2025 election event. (No kings)
When asked directly if the event was partisan, Seiler responded, “Yes, it is a partisan protest.”
She said participants were resisting what she described as illegal policies of the Trump administration.
“Yes, so this is as partisan as it can be,” she concluded.
The discussions offer a field perspective on the political character of a movement whose organizers went to considerable lengths to insist that its voter mobilization activities were “nonpartisan.”
A crowd participates in the “No Kings” rally in Alexandria, Virginia. (Asra Q. Nomani/Fox News Digital)
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“No Kings” distributed detailed guidelines on election law prohibiting partisan slogans, campaign materials, support for candidates, and coordination with political parties.
Yet movement leaders themselves have openly discussed their broader Democratic electoral goals.
During a livestream on October 15, Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin compared the party candidates.
Protesters hold signs during the “No Kings” protest in Alexandria, Virginia. (Asra Q. Nomani/Fox News Digital)
“Our candidates are pretty good across the country. Their candidates are pretty lousy across the country,” Levin said.
During an Oct. 9 webinar, Levin explained how activists can criticize Trump while avoiding explicit Democratic endorsements.
“Um, you have to let people connect the dots on that,” he said.
Indivisible co-founder Leah Greenberg described No Kings as a “non-partisan coalition” intended to welcome participants from across the political spectrum.
Protesters gather in Alexandria, Virginia, as part of the nationwide “No Kings” protest. (Asra Q. Nomani/Fox News Digital)
The distinction is important from a legal perspective. Individual protesters expressing partisan views do not automatically establish that event organizers violated election law. Tax-exempt charities also face different restrictions than those governing political advocacy groups. On another sign, a protester again took aim at Trump, writing: “Every day I hate him more than the day before.” Another sign read: “NO CROWN FOR THE CLOWN.”
From Northern Virginia to the White House, attendees made no effort to hide their political preferences.
For Seiler, the description was simple: “It’s as partisan as it gets. »
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Reagan Schroeder and Tessa Hoyos of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
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