ICYMI: During April Recess, Dems Continue to Host People’s Town Halls in Republican Districts to Hold Trump and GOP Representatives Accountable Arrow

Democrats continued to spend the April congressional recess period hosting "People's Town Halls" nationwide in Republican-held districts to show up for Americans who have been abandoned by their GOP representatives, including in NRCC Chair Richard Hudson's district after Hudson advised Republicans to stop holding in-person town halls in general.

In a little over a month, the DNC, DCCC, and ASDC have worked alongside state parties nationwide to host a whopping 100 People's Town Halls in 45 states. In communities across the country, Democrats are meeting working people where they are and offering a platform to fight back against Republicans' dangerous agenda.

North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton issued the following statement:

"As a Chair from rural North Carolina, I was so excited to have the national Democratic party show up and show out in Saxapahaw! The town's population is 1,501 and we had more than 1,000 North Carolinians show up. Representative Richard Hudson from NC told his friends in Congress not to have town halls. Well, if the man who represents his constituents in Congress won't show up, we will. And we'll show up at the ballot box."

Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib issued the following statement:

"Americans of every political party are mad as hell that not only are Republicans jacking up the cost of living by slashing your Medicaid, threatening your Social Security, and eliminating your school's funding to pay for tax cuts for billionaires - they don't even have the courage to face their own constituents in-person. Colorado Democrats were proud to bring Rep. Greg Casar to town to give folks a real town hall and ensure their voices were heard - right in Gabe Evans' backyard."

Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chair Sharif Street issued the following statement:

"While some politicians hide from the people they represent, we are out in the open - organizing, empowering, and building the future of democracy. The Good Trouble Fest is a reminder that real leadership shows up, listens, and acts. Pennsylvanians deserve better than silence; they deserve action, accountability, and hope."

Missouri Democratic Party Chair Russ Carnahan issued the following statement:

"Our town hall with Senator Murphy brought over 1,200 Missourians out to ask Ann Wagner why she isn't fighting for Missouri families. Over 60 volunteers gave us their time to make sure that question was asked, loudly and directly. Missouri is tired of absent politicians who only show up to work for their friends and we sent that message on Friday."

Washington Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad issued the following statement:

"We showed up to show Rep. Baumgartner how real democracy works, where you hear from the people, and not just campaign donors."

Take a look at some of last week's coverage of Democrats' "People's Town Halls" below:

In North Carolina:

Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost and Sen. Chris Murphy joined a town hall hosted by the North Carolina Democratic Party to call out Representative Richard Hudson (NC-09) for spearheading Republicans' cowardly call to avoid in-person town halls.

Elon News Network: Democratic representatives hold town hall in N.C. 9th Congressional District

[Trista Panagakos, 4/24/25]

"Democrat U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost and Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy hosted a town hall at the Haw River Ballroom in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District Thursday April 24.

"The town hall was part of the Democratic National Committee's 'The People's Town Hall' campaign. …

"Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party Anderson Clayton and North Carolina General Assembly Minority Leader Robert Reives both spoke about Hudson's comments and the apparent refusal of Republican representatives to hold in-person town halls.

"'I really wanted to bring people to rural North Carolina and I wanted to bring the people's town hall to a place where you don't normally find,' Clayton said. 'Even though they've been doing it across the country, I feel like it's been in other bigger places versus coming out to a red rural county and saying, no, we're gonna show up even here.'

"Throughout their remarks to attendees, Murphy and Frost continuously called out Hudson for not holding in-person town halls. Murphy said to attendees that the job of a congressman was to show up for their constituents, but Hudson is hiding. …

"'This isn't about Democrats versus Republicans, it's about the people versus the problem,' Frost said. 'This movement is about addition not subtraction.'"

Associated Press: Sen. Chris Murphy's 'emergency' message about Trump is connecting with Democratic voters

[Mary Clare Jalonick, 4/26/25]

"'We are doing the job that these Republican congressmen and senators won't do,' Murphy told the hyped-up crowd of mostly older voters at the event, while acknowledging that Democrats need to do more to soothe their anxiety and counter President Donald Trump. 'I want to make sure that everywhere, in every corner of this country, people are willing to stand up and fight.'"

MSNBC: VIDEO: 'Welcome to the team': Chris Murphy, Maxwell Frost hold town halls where Republicans won't

"That was Florida Democratic Congressman Maxwell Frost speaking to voters in North Carolina's 9th district. Now, Frost does not represent those folks at that town hall. The guy that actually got voted into that district is … Republican Congressman Richard Hudson. He is the one who told Republicans across the country to stop holding in-person town halls after they all started getting tough questions. So, Congressman Frost, along with Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, showed up instead, along with nearly 800 constituents, and listened to questions from folks in Congressman Hudson's district."

In Colorado:

Democratic Rep. Greg Casar joined a town hall hosted by the Colorado Democratic Party to call out Rep. Gabe Evans' (CO-08) absence at in-person town halls after voting to fatten billionaires' pockets at his constituents' expense.

Washington Post: Democrats take fight to red districts as Republicans shirk town halls

[Matthew Choi, 4/24/25]

"At a town hall Thursday night, Rep. Greg Casar fielded questions about possible cuts to Medicaid, unequal funding in public schools and how Democrats were responding to President Donald Trump.

"But this was not his district. The Democrat from Texas was speaking to Rep. Gabe Evans's constituents - on the Colorado Republican's home turf.

"'So you might ask, what's a congressman from Texas doing here in Colorado doing town halls? And the answer is this: My title actually isn't congressman,' Casar, a native of Austin, told a crowded high school auditorium. 'It's representative, and the person that is supposed to be representing you here in Colorado is not acting like a representative. He's acting like an employee of the Trump-Musk organization.' …

"'My message here today, saying that Gabe Evans shouldn't be voting to cut Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for billionaires,' Casar said, "'that message isn't just a progressive message.'"

Colorado Newsline: Rep. Gabe Evans absent as Colorado Democrats blast him at 'People's Town Hall'

[Chase Woodruff, 4/24/25]

"More than 100 people gathered Thursday in a high school auditorium in Thornton for the latest in a series of 'People's Town Halls' organized by the Democratic National Committee across the country, in districts where Republican members of Congress have declined to hold in-person town halls themselves. In place of Evans, attendees asked questions of Rep. Greg Casar, a Democrat in his second term representing Texas' 35th District.

"'My title actually isn't congressman. The title is representative,' Casar told the crowd. 'And the person that is supposed to be representing you here in Colorado is not acting like a representative. He's acting like an employee of the Trump-Musk organization, and he's not going to show up and answer your questions.'

"Casar and Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib shared the stage with a cardboard cutout of Evans - complete with chicken legs for a lawmaker who Rebecca Miller, a hospice nurse criticizing Evans' support for Medicaid cuts, said was too 'chicken' to hold a proper town hall. …

"'We are not going to let Gabe Evans continue to be employee of the month for Donald Trump,'" Murib said. 'We are not going to continue to let this cardboard cutout stay away from the people.'"

Austin American-Statesman: National Democrats turn to U.S. Rep. Greg Casar of Austin to rally working class voters

[James Osborne, 4/25/25]

"Casar has been visiting GOP districts in Texas and around the country in response to House Speaker Mike Johnson's direction to Republican members to stop holding town halls, to avoid potential confrontations with protesters. …

"In Colorado, Democratic leaders are hoping Casar can help swing back working-class voters in a heavily Latino district with large numbers of Trump voters."

In Missouri:

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy joined Missouri Democrats in hosting a town hall to call out vulnerable Republican Ann Wagner (MO-02) for championing Trump's out-of-touch budget agenda that rips away critical federal programs for Missourians while refusing to hold a town hall.

Spectrum News: With new national support, Missouri Democrats eye chance to unseat Wagner in 2nd congressional district

[Gregg Palermo, 4/25/25]

"A few weeks after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee identified Missouri's second congressional district as one of its targets to be in play in 2026, Connecticut U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a leading national voice in the party, continued his tour of Republican strongholds by coming to Chesterfield to talk to Democrats about mobilizing to unseat incumbent Ann Wagner next year. …

"'I'm here because this moment is exceptional. This is not politics as normal. And so if you're a United States Senator and you care about democracy and you care about shared prosperity, then you can't spend your time only in your state or in your district,' Murphy said. 'We have to be about the business of building a national mobilization of a size and scope that this country has never witnessed before.' …

"Murphy compared congressional Republicans' plans to cut spending, potentially on Medicaid, to the 2017 move to repeal the Affordable Care Act, an effort that ultimately failed when Republicans in the Senate, including John McCain, voted it down."

KSDK: Democrats hold 'People's Town Hall' in absent GOP Rep's district

[Mark Maxwell, 4/25/25]

"In a strategic push to retake congressional control in 2026, Democrats hosted a packed 'People's Town Hall' Friday in Republican Rep. Ann Wagner's Missouri district, challenging her long running absence from public constituent forums. …

"'We're going to make it very clear to Ann Wagner and every other Republican in this country that are hiding from their constituents that if they don't represent the people that voted them into office, they're not going to stay in office,' Murphy told the crowd.

"Murphy even recorded a selfie video addressed directly to Wagner as attendees chanted 'Where are you?'

"'Representative Wagner, I am here with some great public servants here in Missouri, and we are doing what you refuse to do, which is talk to your constituents,' Murphy said in the video. …

"'We beat Ann Wagner and we get the House of Representatives back in Democratic hands,' Murphy said."

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Over 1,000 attend Chesterfield town hall led by prominent Democrat in Ann Wagner's district

[Ezra Bitterman, 4/25/25]

"U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, held a town hall that drew about 1,200 attendees to Chesterfield, a prosperous suburb in west St. Louis County in the heart of the GOP-leaning 2nd Congressional District. …

"Friday's event covered a range of subjects but frequently returned to a common theme: 'Where's Ann Wagner?'

"The question raised by members of the audience and by Murphy was both literal and figurative. Where is Ann Wagner physically, as she holds few town halls in her district. But also where is Ann Wagner on the issues, as Republicans in Congress ponder cutting popular government programs, including Medicaid. …

"'There are Republicans and Democrats in every single state who do not want Donald Trump to get away with his campaign to destroy democracy,' Murphy said in an interview with the Post-Dispatch. 'It makes sense for Democrats in Washington to be everywhere, to be in states that Donald Trump won, and to be in states that Donald Trump lost.'"

In Washington:

Democratic Rep. Emily Randall joined Washington Democrats in hosting a town hall to hold Rep. Michael Baumgartner (WA-05) accountable for voting to greenlight Trump's disastrous budget plan that would make Washington families' lives harder.

The Spokesman-Review: Rep. Emily Randall, state and local Democrats address Spokane in "People's Town Hall"

[Emry Dinman, 4/25/25]

"Rep. Emily Randall, Washington's other freshman member of congress, traveled to Rep. Michael Baumgartner's district Friday with other notable local and state Democrats to speak to residents and hear their concerns about 'illegal and damaging actions by Trump, Musk and their allies.' …

"'We are here to show him how real democracy works, where you hear from the people, and not just campaign donors,' said state Democratic party Chair Shasti Conrad, who was also on the panel at Friday's town hall. …

"'But in the other Washington right now, there is no incentive for Republicans to work with Democrats,' Randall said. 'In fact, there are disincentives; this president, Elon Musk, they make phone calls to any Republican members who are not standing up for the party line, who are not stroking the ego of this president.'

"She stated that the White House and Republicans in Congress were irresponsibly slashing the federal government, relying on 'an algorithm that uses more power and water than it does good to cut people's jobs, their livelihoods, the funding that we need to ensure the benefits which they continue saying they're not cutting.' …

"Zappone spoke to the local impacts of federal funding freezes, totaling $62 million that stopped flowing and touching areas including police equipment, DUI court, wildfire defenses, a frozen program to plant trees in areas of the city without them, and over $25 million in water and sewer infrastructure funding. He argued that the Trump administration's aggressive stance on deportations had driven away immigrants from shopping and working downtown, and noted recent reporting that fewer Canadian tourists were visiting amid rising tensions between the two countries."

In Nebraska:

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna joined a town hall hosted by the Nebraska Democratic Party to spotlight how Rep. Adrian Smith (NE-03) continues to flee from his constituents instead of meeting them face-to-face at town halls to answer for why he chose billionaires over the people he represents.

KHGI: Rebuilding rural America: California congressman holds town hall in central Nebraska

[Jack Bartlett, 4/26/25]

"California Representative Ro Khanna held a town hall in Grand Island to talk with the public about his views to rebuild rural America. …

"'The reality is that these tariffs have put an enormous burden on small businesses who need some of the inputs to be able to survive,' Khanna said. 'They put enormous burdens on companies and farmers that are trying to sell things overseas. Now, we need strategic tariffs to protect against dumping and to make sure that industries we have that we're not losing them to unfair competition, but the main thing we need first is to build those industries here.' …

"He also called out Representative Adrian Smith for not holding town halls in his own state but talking the UNK's College Republicans club on Thursday.

"'Having 20 people who are Republicans show up is not exactly a town hall. I hope he'll come, and we had 300 people in his district and I hope he'll listen to what they were saying,' Khanna asked of Smith."

Hastings Tribune: Democrats hold town hall meeting to hear public feedback

[Will Vraspir, 4/25/25]

"Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., answered questions from the public during a town hall meeting Friday evening at the Liederkranz here. …

"NDP Chairwoman Jane Kleeb said the organization decided to hold the town hall meeting to make up for the state's Republican representatives not doing so.

"'We decided that Republicans were cowards in our state, and they were going to run and hide,' Kleeb said. 'We were going to do what they should be doing, (which) is listen to you, hear the hard feedback, make sure that we are doing everything we can to make Nebraskans lives better.' …

"Khanna commented on Ricketts' town hall meeting and attendees who wanted Ricketts to tax the rich.

"'Now, if the guy who's representing more billionaires than any other person in Congress - $12 trillion in my district, Apple, Google, Intel, Tesla, LinkedIn, all in my district - and that guy can be for taxing billionaires more, and somehow they keep sending me back to Congress, I don't understand how this is a hard vote for the 434 other members of Congress, or for Senator Ricketts,' he said. …

"He said cutting $1.5 trillion from the Medicaid program will have an impact on not only 90 million Americans no longer receiving medical services, but also on the bottom lines for hospitals in less-populated areas. With less funding, services will decline.

"'It will be most devastating for rural communities, but it's going to hit everyone in Nebraska,' he said."