MADISON - More than 200 people kicked off "No Kings" day in New Jersey by rallying with signs and defiant speeches at 9.30 a.m. outside the town train station.

There were signs like "Fight Ignorance, Not Immigrants" and "GOP Traitors," but this was only a warm-up act. Most of the crowd boarded a train around 10 a.m. for a short ride to Morristown, where a much larger rally awaited.

Multiple events of this kind are scheduled throughout the day all over New Jersey.

The "No Kings" rallies - the first was in June - are national in scope, but are particularly interesting here in Jersey. The governor's election is a bit more than two weeks away. And Mikie Sherrill was scheduled to attend a rally herself today.

This prompts an obvious question - will the thousands rallying today mean votes for Sherrill?

Some may think, of course. These rallies, after all, attract Democrats. But it's not that simple.

Yes, they attract Democrats, but they also attract people on the left. And we know that the left wing vote during the primary was basically split between Steve Fulop and Ras Baraka.

Wandering around and talking to people here produced some interesting responses.

A senior citizen couple said they backed Sherrill, but by "default." A young man said there was little enthusiasm for Sherrill on the left.

One of the problems with this crowd is the pending Immigrant Trust Act, which would protect immigrants seeking help from various agencies and also limit collaboration between local cops and ICE.

Related to that is the Immigrant Trust Directive, which restricts when state and local cops can help federal agents. It has been in effect since 2018.

Sherrill has not been clear about whether she supports the pending legislation or the current directive.

Given the fact part of the impetus for the nationwide rallies is to oppose the ICE crackdown on immigrants, this was a big issue for those attending.

But the news for Sherrill was not all bad.

A man sporting a Sherrill button said he thinks the congresswoman has sharpened her campaign recently, and expects that to continue.

"I expect her to be a progressive governor," he said.

One of the main speakers, Bob Conley, the borough's mayor, began this way:

"Look around. Look around at the faces around you. You are the faces of America."

It was a diverse crowd.

And that, the mayor said, is what makes such gatherings so powerful.

Conley ridiculed some Republican criticism that attendees are being paid.

"Who's getting paid to be here?" he asked.

No one replied and the crowd just laughed.