Duluth, Northland Join Thousands in No Kings Day Demonstrations

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon stepped to the microphone at Duluth City Hall on Saturday and told hundreds gathered in the Civic Center courtyard that his office is preparing for something uncommon: possible federal interference in the 2026 elections.

Simon, the keynote speaker at Duluth's third No Kings Day National Day of Action, prefaced the warning carefully. "Sadly, in 2026, one of the things we have to at least think about and prepare for is possible federal interference," he said. "I am not predicting it, I am not saying it will happen, I am not saying it will, and I hope it won't." Simon said he was struck by the Duluth turnout, adding the crowd offered a clear snapshot of where people's emotions and attention are right now.

Demonstrators reached City Hall after converging from three separate staging points across downtown: the intersection of Lake Avenue and Superior Street, the Duluth Public Library, and Lake Superior Plaza. Organizers from six local groups, Duluth Indivisible, Good Trouble Duluth, Zenith City Indivisible, Duluth 50501, Northland Faith Communities, and Indivisible: Rise Up Superior, arranged the march routes and coordinated a program of speakers, live music, and on-site voter registration at the Civic Center courtyard. As marchers arrived, the crowd chanted: "No thrones. No crowns. No kings."

Saturday's rally was the third national day of action organized under the No Kings banner. The movement, coordinated by Indivisible.org since June 2025, was part of more than 3,200 events held across the country the same day.

In Superior, Wisconsin, demonstrators lined both sides of the street outside the Douglas County Courthouse. Mayor Jim Paine attended. "This is one of the most important parts of our democracy, that people are able to speak out freely about what they believe," Paine said. A Superior resident named Ryan told reporters he came specifically to oppose U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict. "This is not how I envisioned America being," Ryan said. "It's being led by people who are an embarrassment to the rest of the world."

Back in Duluth, recent University of Minnesota Duluth graduate Mia Taggett arrived in a cow suit. Her sign read "Got justice?" above "Eat more rich people" on one side, and "No kings. No predators." on the reverse. Misty Ritchie of Champlin had planned to protest in St. Paul but was in Duluth for a state archery meet and joined the local march instead. "I'm so proud of Minnesota, because we sent a message around the world," Ritchie said, citing the state's reaction to a recent federal immigration crackdown she said resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal agents.

Both the Duluth and Superior demonstrations were peaceful, with no incidents reported at either location.