Democrats are following through on their promise to hold town halls in Republican districts, and they are putting on a show.
Tuesday night, Democratic Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan trolled his political rival by standing on stage next to an empty chair reserved for Van Orden, who had declined to attend the town hall in Viroqua.
“Derrick was a no-show, but more than 300 people from the town of 4500 showed up. Pocan wrote on social media, “There is an empty seat for him.” “Of note: Derrick doesn’t respond to constituents & they don’t like cuts to Medicaid & other programs.”
Van Orden “is afraid of his constituents, and he can be fired in 2026,” the progressive said.
Van Orden’s office did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
GOP leadership directed Republican lawmakers to halt in-person town halls after several were disrupted by protesters outraged that President Donald Trump is gutting federal programs under the direction of his ally Elon Musk, the world’s richest man.
PACKED house in Viroqua, WI for the town hall in @derrickvanorden’s district.
Derrick was a NO SHOW, but over 300 people in the town of 4500 showed up. Empty seat for him.
Of note: Derrick doesn’t respond to constituents & they don’t like cuts to Medicaid & other programs. pic.twitter.com/91gXYkKJOc
— Mark Pocan (@MarkPocan) March 19, 2025
Both Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) have claimed, without evidence, that the protesters are being paid to create a scene.
Van Orden denounced them as “George Soros-funded agitators” who are “completely disrespectful,” and has shifted to virtual town hall meetings.
However, Pocan is determined to be a thorn in his rival’s side. When Van Orden and several other Republicans failed to show up for a Wisconsin Farmers Union event last month, which focused on farmers’ concerns about Trump’s policies, Pocan repeatedly joked to the audience that Van Orden was “on vacation.”
Democrats are preparing even bigger signs than Pocan’s. The Democratic National Committee announced Wednesday that it will place several billboards in Republican-controlled districts, encouraging residents to demand town hall meetings with their representatives.
“Republicans are refusing to meet with their constituents after voting to take away health care and make it harder for families to put food on the table,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. “This isn’t surprising ― over the last few months, one word has come to describe Republicans: cowards.”
The billboards will be installed in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania, and will include Republican phone numbers.
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who ran alongside former Vice President Kamala Harris against Trump last year, has also held events in Republican-leaning areas. During an appearance in Eau Clare, Wisconsin, on Tuesday night, he called Musk a “dipshit” and a “South African nepo baby.”
Walz has recently visited several Republican districts, including Iowa and Nebraska. He hinted at the visits in a social media post earlier this month, writing, “If your Republican representative won’t meet with you because their agenda is so unpopular, maybe a Democrat will.” Hell, perhaps I will. If your congressman refuses to meet, I’ll come to their district and host an event to help local Democrats beat them.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) are also holding town halls in Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado this week. Denver event organizers expect a 20,000-person turnout on Friday.
This weekend, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) will also hold town halls in Republican-represented Bakersfield, Anaheim, and Norco.
“I want to make sure people know that their members should not vote for Medicaid cuts,” Khanna told Fox 11 Los Angeles on Tuesday.
These efforts are part of a strategy announced by House Democrats, the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the Association of State Democratic Committees last week.
“We’re filling a void left open by our Republican colleagues who are too afraid to show up to town halls in their own districts because they’re doing things that are unpopular,” Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) told reporters at the Democrats’ annual retreat in Leesburg, Virginia.