Elected officials wonder whether to continue in-person town halls: 'How can we?' [View all]

Source: Politico

09/13/2025 10:00 AM EDT


A summer of raucous constituent events had members of Congress rethinking the future of old-school congressional town halls. The killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is now prompting some to take an even harder look at ditching a longstanding American tradition.

This year’s in-person, open-access Q&As have been fewer and farther between as lawmakers of both parties have seen increasing hostility at the events. Republican lawmakers were all but guaranteed to encounter constituents angry about President Donald Trump’s policies and the legislative agenda they’ve pursued. A significant number of Democrats have also been jeered by activists seeking to end Israel’s war in Gaza.

On both sides, lawmakers have complained that the protests have made a civil exchange of views nearly impossible, with attendees often seeking to drown out their comments with boos and chants. But Kirk’s killing Wednesday on a Utah college campus compounded their sense that large-scale public appearances are paying diminishing political returns with a new sense of anxiety.

GOP Rep. Cliff Bentz of Oregon cited “intentionally disruptive” audience behavior in announcing earlier this month that he would stick exclusively to telephone town halls and smaller group meetings for the foreseeable future. In an interview after Wednesday’s shooting, he said more of his colleagues are rethinking their approach to in-person events. “We can’t have an open society and one that talks about politics if everybody’s worried about getting shot,” Bentz said.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/13/charlie-kirk-town-hall-lawmakers-00562601

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Democrats and gun-control advocates (and there are some on both sides) have given people like you "options" and you dismissed it while bending the knee to the NRA.