Jesse Scheckner
While the GOP is telling its lawmakers to stop holding town halls for now, Democrats are looking to fill in the gaps.
The Florida Democratic Party (FDP) is kicking off a five-day town hall blitz across seven Republican-controlled congressional districts, and it’s inviting state Republicans to disobey National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chair Richard Hudson and meet its candidates on stage.
“If Florida Republicans really believe that what they’re doing is what’s best for the country, they should come and explain themselves to the people in their districts — and if they won’t hold town halls, we will,” FDP Chair Nikki Fried said in a statement.
“With mass firings, cuts to the VA, threats to Social Security and Medicare, attacks on immigrants, tariffs and trade wars — people deserve answers.”
The FDP town halls schedule includes:
— Friday, March 14: Gay Valimont at the Pensacola Yacht Club in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, 6-8 p.m. CT.
— Friday, March 14: Josh Weil at the W.E. Harris Community Center in Hastings in Florida’s 6th Congressional District, 7-9 p.m. ET.
— Saturday, March 15: Melbourne town hall at 2300 Judge Fran Jamieson Way in Florida’s 8th Congressional District, 12:30-2:30 p.m. ET.
— Saturday, March 15: Clearwater town hall with Whitney Fox and Fried in Florida’s 13th Congressional District, 5-7 p.m. ET.
— Saturday, March 15: Coral Gables town hall with Miami-Dade County Democratic Party Chair Laura Kelley in Florida’s 27th Congressional District, 5-7 p.m. ET.
— Sunday, March 16: Social Security Works Executive Director Alex Lawson at the Wildwood Community Center in Florida’s 11th Congressional District, 1:15-2:15 p.m. ET.
— Wednesday, March 19: Winter Springs town hall in Florida’s 7th Congressional District, 7-9 p.m. ET.
More information will be provided about the two town halls on Saturday and Wednesday without named speakers, according to FDP Deputy Communications Director Matt Dailey.
“Some of these town halls are happening with community organizations and are being facilitated by local organizers,” he said.
On Tuesday, Hudson told GOP lawmakers to stop holding town halls in person after several events turned sour amid backlash from constituents upset by cuts under President Donald Trump. Some lawmakers have since switched to virtual town halls, where silencing outcry is a mute button away. Trump has suggested, without substantiation, that the discontented town hall attendees are “paid troublemakers.”
The FDP’s events come as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) rolls out a national “People’s Town Halls” schedule, with in-person events scheduled to also take place in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska and Pennsylvania.
“These increasingly vulnerable House Republicans are failing to do the most basic aspect of their jobs: meeting with the people they represent,” said U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington, Chair of the DCCC.
“Voters deserve elected officials who will take the time to meet with and listen to them, but instead these House Republicans are hiding from their own voters to avoid having to defend their disastrous record of stripping health care and food access from the families, workers, and seniors in their communities.”
21 comments
PeterH
March 14, 2025 at 1:17 pm
Republicans in Congress represent EVERYONE in their district. They must listen and explain their voting record. Florida representatives need to defend their votes for Trump’s Agency heads, policies and Congress’s support for DOGE – PROJECT 2025. Republicans own it …… so defend it.
A day without libturds
March 14, 2025 at 1:21 pm
You lost.
Michael K
March 14, 2025 at 2:20 pm
Did you know that elected officials represent EVERYONE in their district? It’s not a “winner takes all” proposition. Everyone means everyone.
Hung Wiil
March 16, 2025 at 4:57 pm
Michael,
You are being a DOGE bag. Everything you said means nothing. You can’t represent people who are morons or those who do not want to be represented. Cancel Town Halls because the town is filled with idiots.
Charlotte urtis
March 15, 2025 at 6:34 pm
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Ron Ogden
March 14, 2025 at 1:25 pm
So now we have a continuous cycle of campaigning 52 weeks a year, never-ending, always attacking. Then it is time for Republicans to attend these town hall meetings, too, and ask these Democrats why they never stepped into save their country from Joe Biden, why they never demanded that our borders be secured, and why they allowed the deep state to abandon public service in favor of public domination. You want to campaign 52 weeks a year, year after year, so be it.
WAKE UP
March 15, 2025 at 9:03 pm
Have you not owned a TV for the last 10 years? Trump literally campaigned every single day. Have you not woken up? How are your finances? How is your retirement doing? How about your property taxes and insurance? Do you have health insurance? When was the last time you went grocery shopping? What is Trumps plan to address the issues that actually affect you? None. He has none because he has no intention to do so. Go to congress.gov and read some bills. Read the CR. Do some math. They’re hurting SSA, Medicaid, VA, NOAA, FEMA, Law enforcement, eliminating the dept of education. Removed regulations on big pharma, big ag, attempting to get rid of the FCPB. Just to name a few. Every single one of these things affects and protects you. While they had you fearing things that didn’t exist, they were removing things that you need.
Hung Wiil
March 17, 2025 at 1:48 pm
You suck
Dorine
March 14, 2025 at 2:22 pm
Democrats are targeting GOP districts with fake complaints and gaslighting through campaign events hosted by failed Democrat candidates, not town halls. That Florida Politics didn’t fact-check before spreading these events is disturbing. I wonder if Kennedy or McDow will host Florida’s 8th Congressional District.
Deplorable Pinellas
March 14, 2025 at 2:34 pm
It’s hilarious you used a picture of Whitney Fox as the cover photo for this “news” article.
You know she lost, right? She isn’t hosting town halls.
Deplorable Pinellas again
March 14, 2025 at 2:55 pm
And yes I know she’s hosting a “town hall”. But she’s not an elected official. So now Democrats are using the word Town Hall as a synonym for campaign fundraising? A town hall with a private address HAAAAA! Whitney you lost baby boo
Hung Wiil
March 17, 2025 at 2:12 pm
I’d bend Whitney over. I like the picture. This was good bias.
MarvinM
March 14, 2025 at 2:44 pm
Hey, if Republicans want to come to town halls and complain about how things were under Joe Biden, bring it on.
Where was the stock market when he left office? Way up. And had been steadily gaining.
Where was inflation? Down to around or just under 3%.
Where were the unemployment numbers? Low.
Where were the jobs reports numbers? Still in the positives.
Border crossings at the time he left office? Down.
Deportations? Still robust.
Crime rate overall? Down.
I don’t use insulin myself but I understand he got you folks using it on medicare to only have to pay max $35/mo for it. And allowed medicare to negotiate that and other drug prices which saved medicare a butt ton of money.
Brought microchip manufacturing back to the US. And didn’t have to start any stupid tariff wars to do it (used tariffs strategically).
And more – but you probably wouldn’t bother to read anyway.
I didn’t need to be saved from that president. I need to be saved from the current one.
Hung Wiil
March 17, 2025 at 2:14 pm
We don’t need to go to a stupid Democrat town hall. We have jobs, responsibilities and are not dependent on Medicaid.
Marlene
March 20, 2025 at 6:41 pm
Thank you.
Ron Ogden
March 14, 2025 at 2:49 pm
So maybe I want to attend to see what they have to say and, lo and behold, it says “this event’s address is private.” What B-S, “town hall.” A town hall is a public event. This is just a campaign rally/fundraiser. What a despicable pile of crap, and FLA POL is pushing it as hard as they can. Come on publish the address.
Deplorable Pinellas
March 14, 2025 at 3:09 pm
You know it’s gotta be in St. Pete.
They wouldn’t even fill a classroom in North Pinellas. It says “event at capacity” 😂
Tjb
March 14, 2025 at 3:44 pm
No town halls for republicans =NO accountability to their constituents.
.
Michael K
March 14, 2025 at 5:04 pm
Republicans are terrified to explain the economy that Trump is destroying. The poor MAGA hats thought they were voting for a strong economy. Ha! Little did they know Trump is only interested in billionaires, not the MAGA hats who still think the cats are being eaten. Nope – their retirement accounts are being eaten by incompetent co-presidents.
Peter
March 15, 2025 at 4:54 pm
Let’s face the fact that Republicans are having a difficult time defending their votes swamp they’ve created in Washington. Americans need to feel extreme financial pain to comprehend the damage they’ve created by voting for this clown.
patti b
March 17, 2025 at 1:25 pm
Read the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. I attended the Townhall and along with 200+ others exercised my Right to free speech and assembly.
Anybody was invited to attend, and needed to sign up beforehand to get the townhall location. This is standard for a public meeting these days. There was uniformed Security present.
You were welcome to join this meeting.
Please participate in future meetings, and hear your fellow citizens speak up and call on the elected congresswoman to listen to real concerns.
Comments are closed.