WASHINGTON ― Democrats on Thursday announced plans to hold “people’s town halls” in five congressional districts represented by Republicans during a congressional recess starting next week.
The Democratic town halls are an effort to capitalize on voter anger over chaos in federal agencies during President Donald Trump’s second term as well as the threat of changes to programs like Social Security and Medicaid.
Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said Democrats had already convened 64 events in 27 states in the past few weeks.
“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,” Martin said in a statement.
Democrats are planning events this month in districts held by Republican Reps. Juan Ciscomani (Ariz.). Rob Bresnahan (Pa.) Gabe Evans (Colo.), Ann Wagner (Mo.) and Richard Hudson (N.C.), chair of the House Republican campaign committee. Democrats participating in the events will include Reps. Greg Stanton (Ariz.), Greg Casar (Texas) and Maxwell Frost (Fla.) as well as Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.).
After viral videos of constituents screaming about Medicaid cuts and Musk at town halls earlier this year, Hudson and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) have advised House Republicans not to participate in such events.
“Democrat activists who don’t live in the district very often will show up for these town hall events, and they’ll go in an hour early and fill all the seats, and so the constituents and the people from the community that are actually represented don’t even get the seat,” Johnson said at a press conference last month.
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Republicans have been on their heels the past week, with Johnson pulling a vote on a budget measure amid an intraparty dispute over whether to cut Medicaid and the Trump administration walking back unprecedented tariffs against U.S. trading partners and calling off previously announced cuts to phone service at the Social Security Administration.