WASHINGTON — Democrats are on offense, but Republicans are laughing. For now, at least.
Thursday the Democratic Party’s hosting a town hall in the North Carolina district of the GOP leader who coached rank-and-file Republicans to avoid town halls. But Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) — the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee (or NRCC) — says he’s unfazed.
“It's the same old playbook,” Hudson told Raw Story just as Congress was gaveling itself out for a two week spring vacation. “I think the American people voted for change.”
Hudson’s taken flack ever since coaching House Republicans to avoid face-to-face town halls earlier this year. That’s why Democrats are targeting him with a town hall on his home turf.
“They clearly don't want to face their voters,” Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) — number three in House Democratic leadership — told Raw Story.
This week’s gatherings are a part of a string of "People's Town Halls.” After visiting battleground House districts in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Colorado, nationally recognized Democrats — like Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) or Chris Murphy (D-CT) — are then on to embattled Rep. Ann Wagner’s (R-MO) district Friday.
The ‘town halls’ are sponsored by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
People are a little nervous
Be patient. That’s been the message from President Donald Trump in recent weeks as he reportedly braced Americans for a little bit of “pain.”
Elected Republicans argue it’s just a moment in time.
“People are a little nervous because there's some uncertainty,” Congressman Hudson of North Carolina said. “Most people want to see change, and so I think ultimately it's going to play in our favor big time.”
Polls show Independents and even Republicans losing trust in President Donald Trump and his billionaire budget-slashing bud Elon Musk.
Still, GOP leaders like Hudson argue — or, at least, tell themselves — that’s just a moment in time.
“You can't win an election being for nothing except anger,” Hudson said. “I mean, Democrats stand for nothing. They have no policy ideas. Let's have that discussion. I'm looking forward to it.”
Even as Democrats are increasingly looking forward to it too, Hudson maintains the energy remains on the GOP’s side.
“That’s not a winning election strategy. Not when we're actually accomplishing things that they've asked us to do,” Hudson said. “People are fired up.”
Democrats are also storming Missouri’s Second District this week before Congress gavels back into session Monday.
Dismissive reaction
And it’s the same dismissive reaction over in the St. Louis suburbs. Since 2013, the district’s been represented by Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) who cracks up when you mention Democrats’ attempts to take the fight to her constituents.
"What do you make of this?" Raw Story asked as the congresswoman laughed. "Is this just laughable?"
"Oh, yeah, yeah,” Wagner — who’s faced Democratic town halls in her district before — told Raw Story. “They do a big cardboard cutout, and they very much make clear that this is through the DNC and Indivisible kind of groups.”
“It doesn’t feel local or organic?” Raw Story pressed.
“No,” Wagner said. “Nothing.”
“Yeah? So you're not even worried?” Raw Story asked. “So it's just something for you to fundraise off of?”
“Oh, no,” Wagner said. “And we do office hours. We do all those things. Our people are really, you know, out there throughout the district.”
Some Democrats are now laughing too, as they see these incumbent Republicans run from the only lifeline essential to any politician: voters.
“Honestly, the more I do town halls, that helps me go back and influences what I do inside the chamber,” Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) told Raw Story. “If you're not doing town halls, you're not really doing a big part of your job. They can run, but they can't hide.”
Moral moment
After hosting upwards of 70 town halls in 35 states in recent weeks, Democratic leaders are feeling the wind in their sails.
“It's unfortunate when Republican elected officials are so scared that their voters are angry that they would rather not answer phones and not meet with them,” Aguilar, the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, told Raw Story. “It says a lot about where they think the president's policies are leading right now.”
“What do you make of MAGA tripling down on Trump?” Raw Story asked.
“They try to give him what he wants. They all kind of bend the knee at whatever the president wants,” Aguilar said. “And while he's polling well in some of their districts, I think, that's going to continue to be the case.”
Fresh off his record-breaking 25+ hour long speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) says he’s eager to take the fight to purple and red districts alike.
“This is a moral moment, and I feel an obligation to do more and travel more and help more and reach out more and stand up more,” Booker told Raw Story. “And so I think a lot of us are feeling that.”
