03/19/2025

Voters Want to Know Where Their GOP Representatives Are

Republicans’ efforts to avoid heated protests are rallying their opponents

In Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, Rep. Derrick Van Orden had denounced the people showing up to Republicans’ town halls as “agitators,” lawbreakers and paid troublemakers. Now four of his constituents sat in a food court near JimBob’s Pizza, pondering their next move.

One person at the table was calling Van Orden’s office several times a day. Another kept calling through a ski trip. But GOP leaders in Congress were telling their members to stop holding in-person town halls, and activists’ requests for a meeting with Van Orden had hit a dead end.

Thorsten Landwehr was outraged that Van Orden would use his public platform to suggest that they were paid puppets. He started to object and then paused, overcome with anger.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.