Democrats step up town halls amid rowdy GOP forums

[mystery-ak]

 Democrats step up town halls amid rowdy GOP forums
by Julia Manchester - 03/19/25 6:00 AM ET

Democrats are using town halls to go on offense against their Republican counterparts as the party scrambles to capitalize on a weak point: GOP lawmakers taking heat for President Trump.

Democratic Party leaders argue that images of Republican lawmakers being pressed and booed at home-district town halls in response to Trump’s agenda is reminiscent of Tea Party town halls during former President Obama’s first term.

Last week at their annual retreat, House Democrats announced they would travel to House Republican districts to hold town halls, while the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Association of State Democratic Committees announced a joint effort, dubbed “People’s Town Halls,” to target vulnerable Republicans. As a part of that effort, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) hosted town halls in GOP districts in Iowa and Nebraska last weekend. Additional town halls are planned for this week in Pennsylvania’s 7th and 10th Congressional Districts.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) are also hitting the road for their “Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here” tour, which includes a stop in Rep. Gabe Evans’s (R-Colo.) district, as well as stops in Nevada and Arizona.

Meanwhile, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) has helped build crowds at a number of town halls featuring Democratic Sens. Ruben Gallego (Ariz.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and Michael Bennet (Colo.) this month, targeting vulnerable House Republicans in their respective states.

“In this world of wondering what is effective as Trump floods the zone, one thing that is indisputably true is that as Trump voters and veterans speak out in local meetings, House Republicans are feeling the pain,” said PCCC co-founder Adam Green, adding he hopes that effort will become a “caucus-wide intentional strategy of going to House Republican districts.”

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https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5201896-democrats-target-republican-town-halls/

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 Voters boo Nebraska Republican over Musk, Ukraine, Trump tariffs during raucous town hall
by Mychael Schnell - 03/18/25 10:57 PM ET

Rep. Mike Flood’s (R-Neb.) town hall turned raucous Tuesday night as he fielded questions from voters about Elon Musk, President Trump’s tariffs, the White House’s posture towards Ukraine and more, with attendees booing and yelling at the congressman throughout the event.

Flood — who represents Nebraska’s first congressional district — held the town hall in Columbus, Nebraska, despite House GOP leaders advising their members to avoid in-person town halls and instead host phone and live-streamed versions. The guidance came after several GOP lawmaker town halls went viral for protests and complaints about the Trump administration, which Republicans have blamed on Democratic activists.

Flood’s town hall — which ran for more than an hour — was tense from the start, with the crowd booing parts of the congressman’s responses, yelling back at his remarks and cheering when a voter raised a complaint. At one point, an attendee held a sign that read “LIAR.”

In one of the rowdiest moments, an attendee criticized Flood for calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s conduct “disrespectful” after his tense meeting with Trump last month.

“First of all, I do want to say shame,” the attendee said. “I want to say shame for your comment, your quote that you said, ‘President Zelensky’s approach today was disrespectful to President Trump and undermines the goal of bringing peace’ and that. So shame on that.”

The comments came after Flood, in response to a previous question, said that he supported Ukraine, voted for previous aid packages and believes Kyiv should not have to give up any land to Russia, prompting claps in the crowd.

At another point, Flood was accused of doing little to help constituent concerns.

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https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5202362-voters-boo-nebraska-republican-town-hall/