Amid viral protests at town halls, constituents are now empty-chairing their Republican representatives to share their frustrations in the absence of their political leaders.
GOP bosses have told their members not to appear at town hall meetings to avoid having to face down voters’ fury at the policies pushed by the administration of President Donald Trump. Voters are especially outraged at Elon Musk’s effort to gut the federal government and the civil service.
During the congressional recess that came to an end on Sunday, local activists held events where voters could voice their opinions even if their congressional representatives chose not to attend the events they were invited to.
New York voters railed at an empty chair holding a photo of Rep. Elise Stefanik at a town hall event hosted by Indivisible ADK, according to WRGB.
"Will you stand up for your people and Congress by taking food out of the mouths of hungry constituents in your district?" one attendee asked.
"What, Elise, are you gonna do to ensure that the Trump administration does the same?" another asked. Others simply questioned where she was.
"Congresswoman Stefanik has hosted thousands of events since she was first elected, which is why she was consistently overwhelmingly re-elected for six terms, earning the highest number of votes in the North Country in history for a Congressional candidate,” Stefanik spokesperson Alex DeGrasse told CBS6. “This is the same failed playbook radical Leftist Democrats have used every cycle.”
Similarly, Montana voters shared their concerns regarding cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Missoula Current reported.
Meanwhile, the Alaska Current reported that event attendees in the state slammed Trump for his attacks on longtime allies such as Canada while at the same time taking a more friendly approach to traditional adversaries such as Russia.
Voters at an event in Anchorage took aim at empty chairs holding signs saying “Chicken Nick” and “Doorman Dan” in reference to Rep. Nick Begich and Sen. Dan Sullivan.
One woman said she had voted for Sullivan for the last time after he voted to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“Dan, what were you thinking!” she said. “Obviously, it’s not the American people, not the defense of the country. Maybe you have a little Russian in you, Dan!”
Mike Macans told the attendees at the Alaska event that he had been fired several times from his job at the Small Business Administration.
“Everyday Alaskans are the ones left reeling from the destruction of our critical services,” said Macans. “Representative Begich and Senator Sullivan refused to sit down with us. They refused to stand up for everyday salt-of-the-earth Alaskans. … Where the hell are you?”
Sullivan told reporters that his time was better spent meeting with smaller groups, such as at a Fairbanks fundraiser on Friday.
“My number one priority has always been constructive and meaningful engagement with my constituents,” he told the press in Juneau, the Alaska Beacon reported. “And by the way, you want to talk about a town hall? That was the ultimate town hall. There were 60 elected officials who could ask me any question they wanted, on any topic they wanted, and they represent the people.”
He added that he’s unwilling to meet with those intent on just yelling at him.
“If there’s constructive engagement, I’m all for it,” said Sullivan. “If it’s all about screaming and yelling and viral moments that they want to send out to their colleagues? You know, it’s not necessarily the most constructive way to do what I just did in there: an hour and a half with Alaska elected officials.”
Meanwhile, in Indiana, hundreds of voters attended an event at a local library to blast Sens. Todd Young and Jim Banks, as well as Rep. Marlin Stutzman, for supposedly refusing to meet with them.
“They’ve never been here before, why would they be here now? They’re no-shows. They’re interested in Trump and Elon, they’re not interested in us,” one attendee told WPTA.
A Banks spokesperson told the local TV station that “Attending a fake town hall with a small group of whiny Democrats suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome is not at the top of his priority list.”
“Senator Banks received more votes than any Senate candidate in Indiana history because of his strong record helping constituents and fighting for Hoosiers,” a spokesperson for Banks told The Independent.
The Independent has contacted Stutzman and Young for comment.
