By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Senior National
Correspondent
After frustrated constituents drove Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall out of his town hall last month, Republican leaders had seen enough. House Speaker Mike Johnson and National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Rep. Richard Hudson ordered GOP lawmakers to stop holding the events altogether.
The move, seen as a strategy to avoid public backlash, has drawn criticism from political experts and outrage from Democratic leaders. Critics say the decision silences the public and signals that the party is increasingly only interested in hearing from its most extreme supporters. “It’s certainly a unique view of representation that representatives should hear only from constituents who agree with them,” said Marjorie Hershey, professor emeritus of political science at Indiana University Bloomington. “But it’s entirely in keeping with the recent direction of the Republican party: to become more and more extreme because they listen only to their far-right base.”
In response, Democrats have launched an expansive campaign of their own. In the past three weeks alone, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), and Association of State Democratic Committees (ASDC) have held 71 “People’s Town Halls” across 35 states—filling venues in rural, suburban, and urban communities. The goal: to meet directly with Americans in districts where Republican lawmakers have chosen to disappear. DNC Chair Ken Martin said Democrats are stepping up where Republicans are stepping away.
“In the first three weeks holding ‘People’s Town Halls,’ we’ve already convened 71 events in 35 states,” Martin said. “And here’s the upshot: Democrats are listening, Republicans are cowering, and folks are as fired up as I’ve ever seen.” He added, “In both red and blue communities, people are sick and tired of Donald Trump and Elon Musk destroying the economy, threatening health care and Social Security, and making life worse for families. In April, we’re doubling down with leading Democratic voices joining even more town halls in key districts across the country. Republicans still want to pretend like their constituents don’t exist, but we believe Americans deserve to have their voices heard.”
Democrats have announced plans to host five additional town halls during the April congressional recess in districts represented by Republicans who have refused to hold in-person events:
- April 13 in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District (Rep. Juan Ciscomani)
- April 22 in Pennsylvania’s 8th District at the “Good Trouble Festival” (Rep. Rob Bresnahan)
- April 24 in Colorado’s 8th District (Rep. Gabe Evans)
- April 24 in North Carolina’s 9th District—home to NRCC Chair Richard Hudson
- April 25 in Missouri’s 2nd District (Rep. Ann Wagner)
DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said constituents across the country are showing up because they feel abandoned.
“There’s a reason voters across the House battlefield are attending the ‘People’s Town Halls’ in droves,” DelBene said. “They are sick and tired of being ignored by House Republicans who refuse to do their jobs and fail to meet with their own constituents.” DelBene continued, “While vulnerable Republicans continue to run scared because they’re voting to raise costs, gut Medicaid, and threaten working families’ livelihoods, we’re going to make sure voters know they don’t have to wait until Election Day to hold them accountable.”
ASDC Chair Jane Kleeb said the state parties are driving the success of the campaign.
“Our People’s Town Halls have been a rousing success and I’m so proud of all of our Democratic state parties that have answered the call and hosted events where Republicans continue to hide,” Kleeb said. “We have the momentum,” she added. “As we enter the April recess period, Republicans are on the back foot, losing and underperforming special elections, seeing their polling numbers drop, and pushing through an unpopular budget bill while Trump and Musk continue to tank the economy. The ASDC will continue to deliver our message straight to people across this country. We’re on offense and we’ll keep driving until we take back the House in 2026.”
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