House Democrats are heading to Republican districts to conduct town halls — a strategy designed to highlight the moratorium on those public events recently suggested by the head of the GOP’s campaign arm.
“We’re filling a void,” Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), who is planning “a few” town halls in Republican districts, told reporters during the Democrats’ annual retreat in Leesburg, Va.
“We’re filling a void that’s left open by our Republican colleagues who are too scared to show up to town halls in their own districts because they’re doing things that are not popular.”
Earlier in the month, Rep. Richard Hudson (N.C.), the head of the Republicans’ campaign arm, advised House Republicans to avoid in-person town halls in their districts. The advice came after several GOP lawmakers had staged public forums and found that many constituents were infuriated with the policies of President Trump.
Videos of those confrontations — which Republicans blamed on Democratic agitators — made their way online and quickly went viral.
Democrats are hoping to exploit that unrest. They’ve been staging town halls all year in their own districts, and next week they’re planning a blitz of the events to highlight the GOP’s proposals to cut Medicaid spending.
By planning events in Republican regions, as well, they’re hoping their message will resonate in battleground districts they’re fighting to pick up in the 2026 midterms.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), for instance, is planning town halls next week in three GOP-controlled districts, which are currently held by California Republican Reps. David Valadao, Young Kim and Ken Calvert.
“As much as we can show up and talk to people, and listen — give people an opportunity to share their stories — and allow that to inform the work that we do, then we will be successful,” Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) said Wednesday in Leesburg.
“It’s about listening to people. It’s not about where.”
