No Kings drums up voter awareness at Louisiana events

The No Kings movement dialed down its usual animus for President Donald Trump at thousands of gatherings across the country Saturday to instead emphasize voter participation for the Nov. 3 congressional midterm elections. The first legitimate fall weather day in Louisiana, with cooler temperatures and clear skies, boosted the spirits of participants at events in nine cities.

A few dozen people lined the sidewalks in front of the old courthouse in Covington, the seat of St. Tammany Parish. Most carried signs that encouraged passing motorists to take part in the upcoming election, while a few took potshots at the sitting president. Many drivers greeted the No Kings participants on downtown Covington’s main drag, East Boston Street, with honking horns and thumbs up, but there were also thumbs down and the occasional middle finger.

St. Tammany has been reliably Republican in statewide and congressional elections for decades, helping Majority Leader Steve Scalise keep a firm hold on his 1st Congressional District seat since 2008. The likelihood that Scalise will win another term next month didn’t dissuade Lindsay Pons of Mandeville from bringing her two sons to the No Kings event.

Her boys brought along a snare drum that provided a steady beat for the two-hour event. Pons said she feels good about the chances that Democrats will take control of Congress and put a stop to what she considers Trump’s aggressive immigration policy.  

“I’m just really optimistic that, if we do win, it’s because a lot of people just couldn’t vote for the same,” she said. “You know, maybe they couldn’t cross over, but they couldn’t continue to vote for the same.”

This is the fourth No Kings national day of action since the movement was launched after Trump took office in January 2025.  More than 2,500 events in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., were planned for Saturday. 

The three previous events in New Orleans have been singular, large-scale events, but this weekend’s plans involved smaller gatherings at six high-visibility intersections in the city and one in nearby Metairie.

One group of participants manned the neutral grounds near the entrance of New Orleans City Park, handing out snacks and voter guides to drivers stopped at traffic lights. They shared the sidewalk and enthusiastic greetings with people heading to the annual Oktoberfest at the nearby Deutsches Haus, with some attendees clad in the traditional German garb of lederhosen and dirndls.     

Other cities hosting No Kings events Saturday in Louisiana included Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Hammond, Lafayette, Slidell and Shreveport. They sought to raise awareness of the early voting period that starts Tuesday and ends Oct. 27.