Democrats and liberal groups have put Republican members of Congress in a bit of a tough situation. Republican leadership has indicated that members should not be holding town halls, and those that do are inundated with agitators from liberal groups. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) even bragged about it recently. Last week, a local news outlet in Tennessee, the Chattanooga Times Free Press, called out several Tennessee Republicans, such as Rep. Chuck Fleischmann as well as Sens. Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn for not playing along.
"Democracy in Action group to host Hixson town hall for lawmakers Blackburn, Fleischmann and Hagerty," the headline read. The piece quotes organizer Allison Gorman extensively, who ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat in Tennessee. The event was put on by Democracy in Action, as the headline suggests.
The outlet expects readers to take their word for it when it comes to the group and the event. One of the organizers involved with the event and Democracy in Action even served as an editor for the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
As the piece mentioned:
The town hall is being put on by Democracy in Action from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hixson Community Center. The group, which Gorman says is nonpartisan, has been putting on weekly protests to voice concerns to and about their elected officials.
...
If they choose to attend, Gorman said people won't be screaming through megaphones or hurling insults at their elected officials. It will be a respectful event about real concerns.
"These are very nice people," she said. "They are not crazy, foaming at the mouth."
...
Jack Allen, a Democrat who ran against Fleischmann for his congressional seat, will be moderating the event. Judy Walton, who was a reporter and editor at the Chattanooga Times Free Press over five years ago, is one of several organizers involved with Democracy in Action and the hosting of the town hall.
There's also mention of Blackburn participating in tele-town halls, though the organizers don't appear satisfied with such an option.
A spokesperson for the senator's office provided a statement to Townhall about the event. "Radical left-wing activists and their accomplices in the media are using sham town halls to generate fake media coverage critical of President Trump and Republican lawmakers. These diehard liberals do not care about actually engaging with their elected officials. What they are seeking to do is create a media spectacle to push their Marxist ideology. Republicans will not be used as pawns to advance their left-wing agenda," said the spokesperson.
Blackburn herself also posted her outrage about the article from her X account last Thursday, the same day that the piece went up. She was clear in calling the event a "sham 'townhall,'" and referred to the group as "radical left wing activists." She also took issue with involvement from a Chattanooga Times Free Press editor's involvement, which the excerpt above appeared to try to downplay. The email the senator's office received also did not disclose the former editor's connection.
"Political stunts like these are why trust in the media is at an all-time low," her post added, with Americans saying they indeed have a declining trust in the media, according to Gallup.
It is absurd that the @TimesFreePress would reach out requesting comment on a sham “townhall” that is being organized by radical left wing activists without disclosing that one of the organizers is a former reporter at the same outlet.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) March 27, 2025
Political stunts like these are why trust… pic.twitter.com/JQRf6UtBj4
While Gorman is quoted as indicating that those involved with Democracy in Action are "very nice people" and "are not crazy, foaming at the mouth," footage from an event in Hamilton County organized by the group may suggest reasons for concern. The Hamilton County Democratic Party made a Facebook reel in mid-February featuring some of the protesters and signs, with one older gentleman who is featured in many of the photos holding a sign that read "MAGA=NAZI." Virtually every picture includes a sign against President Donald Trump or Elon Musk.
The featured image from the article in question by the Chattanooga Times Free Press uses an image from that February 17 event, noting that staff writer Matt Hamilton took the picture. Many of the posters in the featured image are also anti-Musk and against President Donald Trump, including "ELON ≠ DEMOCRACY" and "FELON MUSK."
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