WASHINGTON — Democrats are embarking on a nationwide effort to reach voters at home, announcing a new series of town halls in competitive districts, as the party searches for the best strategy to counter the Republican trifecta in Washington in which the GOP controls both chambers of Congress and the White House. 

What You Need To Know

  • Democrats are embarking on a nationwide effort to reach voters at home, announcing a new series of town halls in competitive districts, as the party searches for the best strategy to counter the Republican trifecta in Washington in which the GOP controls both chambers of Congress and the White House
  • The “People’s Town Hall” campaign, which the Democratic National Committee announced in a press release Friday, is intended to put a spotlight on the lack of such events coming from the Republican side after party leaders in the House advised members to hold off on in-person town halls
  • The direction came after several House Republicans faced a deluge of blowback from constituents at in-person events in their districts over moves by the Trump administration and specifically its wide-scale government downsizing effort being carried out by Elon Musk and the U.S. DOGE Service
  • Thus far, town halls are scheduled for Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska and Pennsylvania, with each one targeting a specific competitive House district currently held by a Republican

The “People’s Town Hall” campaign, which the Democratic National Committee announced in a press release Friday, is intended to put a spotlight on the lack of such events coming from the Republican side after party leaders in the House advised members to hold off on in-person town halls. The direction came after several House Republicans faced a deluge of blowback from constituents at in-person events in their districts over moves by the Trump administration and specifically its wide-scale government downsizing effort being carried out by Elon Musk and the U.S. DOGE Service. 

On Thursday night, Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., endured a constant barrage of jeers, expletives and searing questions on Trump administration policies during a town hall in Asheville, North Carolina.

“Republicans in Congress know they sold out their voters by backing the Trump-Musk agenda — and now they’re terrified to be in the same room as the people who sent them to Washington,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. “Instead of facing their constituents, they’re running scared and hiding from the people they were elected to represent. If they won’t talk to their own voters, then Democrats will.”

The national Democratic party; the DCCC, which is the campaign arm of House Democrats; and the Association of State Democratic Committees are teaming up for the effort, which will see national and local Democratic figures hit the road across the country. 

The town halls will take place over the next few weeks, kicking off with a pair of events featuring Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris' vice presidential running mate in November.

Eventually, the DNC says it intends to hit all 50 states, but thus far, town halls are scheduled for Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska and Pennsylvania. Each one targets a specific competitive House district currently held by a Republican, such as Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s 6th Congressional District in battleground Arizona.  

Well-known independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with Democrats, has been hitting Republican districts in battleground states such as Michigan and Wisconsin for town hall-style events that he said have brought thousands of attendees. 

The senator posted on X on Friday that he and fellow progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. will be in Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado next week to continue what he is calling his “Fighting Oligarchy" tour.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.