House Democrats are ramping up their aggressive strategy of conducting town halls in Republican-held districts, vying to exploit the GOP’s advised moratorium on the events to make inroads with frustrated voters, pick up battleground seats, and flip control of the House in next year’s midterms.
A number of Democrats who ventured this month into GOP territory said they liked what they saw: anxious voters who are up in arms over both President Trump’s dismantling of the federal government and the reluctance of the majority Republicans to provide a check on executive power.
Encouraged by their experiences, Democrats say they not only intend to return to those battleground districts, they’re also eyeing plans to broaden their range in the weeks and months to come. The Democrats’ campaign arms, in some cases, are helping to coordinate the effort.
The aggressive gambit of diving into districts controlled by the other party is hardly ordinary. But Democrats say Trump’s unconventional approach to governing demands an unconventional response. And after House GOP leaders urged Republican lawmakers to steer clear of in-person town halls — an avoidance strategy adopted after voter outrage over Trump’s actions erupted virally in some of those public forums — Democrats have stepped up their infiltration operations.
Republicans have dismissed the Democrats’ strategy as both disingenuous and ineffective. GOP strategists are pointing out that Democrats are facing their own troubles at town halls, where some lawmakers have faced liberal voters furious that Democrats aren’t fighting harder against Trump and the flood of executive actions that have defined his first months in office.
Republicans also allege that the crowds at the Democratic events in GOP districts are orchestrated to exclude Trump supporters who might challenge them. In that sense, they charge, the town halls aren’t town halls at all.
Democrats have rejected any suggestion that the cross-district events are staged or feature paid protesters. While some of the town halls have been orchestrated by liberal advocacy groups, unions and local Democratic officials, Democrats maintain that anyone is welcome to attend. Raskin said he addressed that very issue at the outset of his town hall in Harris’s district.
Not all Republicans are taking their leadership’s advice and avoiding town halls. Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) is one of them. She’s conducted a number of public forums this year in her state. On more than one occasion, the event was disrupted by shouts and booing from the audience, which she blamed on Democratic activists.
Posted by John3262005