ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Recent protests across Asheville and Western North Carolina have drawn thousands of demonstrators and renewed calls for grassroots organization ahead of the 2026 election cycle.

Though not organized by the Buncombe County Democratic Party, local Democrat leaders voiced support for the demonstrations, calling them a sign of growing political momentum. Meanwhile, efforts to reach officials from the North Carolina and Buncombe County Republican parties for comment about the protests have been unsuccessful.

“We must keep this energy going,” said Kristen Robinson, a spokesperson for the local Democratic party.

The next step, she said, is channeling that energy into party infrastructure.

“In 2026, we must defeat [U.S. Senator] Thom Tillis and [U.S. Representative] Chuck Edwards and elect people to the U.S. Senate and House that is going to fight for North Carolina,” Robinson said. “Somebody that is going to fight for recovery funds for WNC. Somebody that won’t let [President] Donald Trump walk all over our rights and freedoms.”

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Robinson stressed the importance of judicial elections, pointing to efforts to retain Justice Anita Earls on the North Carolina Supreme Court.

“If the North Carolina Supreme Court hadn’t ruled that gerrymandering was okay, North Carolina would have fair maps and Hakeem Jeffries would be speaker of the House,” Robinson said.

“We must keep this energy going and get these people plugged into electoral politics. If we had that many people knocking on doors and making phone calls, we could make 2026 a true blue wave.”

Political experts said the protests reflect a larger national trend of civic response to the Trump administration’s policies.

“The protests are not merely for ‘show,'” said David W. Thornton, a political science professor for more than 30 years. “They are an organic, healthy and predictable response organized by a loose and shifting coalition of independent groups who object to any number of the administration’s policies and reject Trump’s confrontational style of governance.”

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Thornton predicted protests will continue and intensify as the 2026 midterms near.

“The folks participating in them will be highly motivated to cast their ballots against Republican candidates and will work very hard to encourage others to do the same,” Thornton said. “I expect that this electoral momentum will cost the GOP its control of the House of Representatives, even though they will likely keep the Senate in November 2026.”

Thornton warned against any attempts at violent resistance, citing the possibility of an autocratic response. The Trump administration may already be preparing to invoke measures like the Insurrection Act in the face of perceived threats, the professor said.

“The public must continue to use only the legal levers and peaceful means available to object and resist the Trump administration’s policy agenda and not provoke an autocratic crackdown,” Thornton said.