No Kings rallies in Missoula, Helena quieter, but crowds focus on voting

MISSOULA and HELENA — Dallas Tenbrink was in the military in 2016 and supported President Donald Trump, but he’s changed his mind.

“I really saw his aggressive, authoritarian policies and his attitude, and even in the military, it just did not sit well with me,” Tenbrink said.

Saturday, Tenbrink was among an estimated 1,000 people at the No Kings rally in Missoula. With the Democratic Socialists of America, Tenbrink said he’s motivated to vote in this election and work on change.

“Hopefully, we can put an end to this system that allows someone like this to take over,” Tenbrink said.

At a rally in Helena, more than 500 people demonstrated at the Capitol.

Trump isn’t on the ballot, but his policies and favored candidates are. Earlier this week, he stumped in the Flathead Valley for Republicans, and he drew an enthusiastic crowd.

Participants in the No Kings rallies Saturday carried signs that said “Dump Trump,” “Hope 4 a Blue Wave,” and “The World’s a Trump-ster Fire.”

Fewer people turned out compared to earlier rallies across Montana, but Danica Nelson, with Indivisible Missoula, said the smaller crowd Saturday wasn’t a surprise; a University of Montana Grizzlies football game was taking place too, and public schools were on fall break.

In Missoula, at least 10,000 demonstrated in March 2026, and Helena drew 2,000 in June 2025. Even though the numbers were smaller, Nelson said people were ready to take action.

“We’re getting close to the election, and folks are fired up,” Nelson said.

Organizers encouraged people to vote early, and many people in Missoula raised their hands when speakers at the microphone asked who had already cast a ballot.

“It’s the foundation of democracy,” said Lynn Elsner of Missoula. “It’s so important to protect.”

High costs are driving many people to the polls, and Elsner said she sees a lack of affordability in her own life.

“If you go to the gas station, if you go to the grocery store, bills are rising,” Elsner said. “I just recently got on Medicare, and that went up. And then they’re talking about Social Security.”

Sigrun Kuefner, of East Germany and later West Germany, said she has voted in every election since she became a United States citizen in 1965. Kuefner said this year is critical.

“I just feel it’s so very important to get rid of our president,” Kuefner said.

But Kuefner said it’s equally important to choose the best state and community leaders.

A couple of bands played in Missoula, and people danced on the lawn. In between songs, Sarah Marker, with Arrowleaf, encouraged people to stay creative because creativity helps fight fascism.

“A creative mind can solve anything,” said Marker, of Frenchtown.

In Helena, the rally lasted for about an hour and a half.

Following a short program, which included a parody making fun of people who don’t vote, organizers encouraged attendees to walk around the Capitol.

“We are defending democracy. We are standing guard,” said former Helena legislator Kim Abbott, who helped host the event. “We are standing guard against an administration that has said that they don’t want to count our votes.”

Many attendees had already voted, and said they were worried about threats to their civil liberties and described an eroding democracy.

“Our rule of law and our freedoms are at stake at this point, I don’t even know where to go with that,” said Mike Gilles, 71. “You know, all I can say is that every vote counts, and we all need to vote.”

Audrey Schubring, another attendee, listed data centers and federal immigration enforcement against people who are not citizens as topics she was thinking about while voting.

“They don’t give them a chance. They treat them brutally, and that isn’t what they were supposed to do,” said Schubring, 83. “Trump said they were going to go after gangs and people with records. They weren’t going to go into restaurants. They weren’t going to go into schools.”

Although affordability is a concern for many voters, Janice Stroud, of Victor, said she was driven by one thing alone this year: “Hate for Trump.”

At the mic at No Kings, one singer in Missoula asks people to join in a Willie Nelson tune and “vote ‘em out.” Many people raised their hands when asked if they’d already voted in Montana.

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— Keila Szpaller (@keilaszpaller.bsky.social) October 17, 2026 at 11:42 AM