Republicans are thinking hard about how to connect with constituents over August recess while avoiding confrontations with protesters and angry voters, which their opponents can use as fundraising fodder.
And they’re getting creative: From switching to telephone town halls to requiring driver’s licenses to attend in-person ones, some GOP lawmakers are taking steps while off the Hill to keep up a business-as-usual appearance of politicking. Others have stopped trying to meet constituents face to face altogether.
“Some have just, quite candidly, stopped doing ‘em because these town halls are no longer informative,” Chad Wilbanks, a Texas-based Republican strategist, told NOTUS. “Seeing constant disruption from people that aren’t willing to listen and have an engaging discussion, it just wasn’t worth it.”