A Wisconsin woman was removed from a town hall hosted by Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in Eau Claire last week after she filmed organizers blocking Trump supporters from entering. (Getty/Fox News Digital)
The former vice presidential candidate was one of the first Democrats to announce town halls in Republican-held congressional districts after the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the political campaign committee tasked with electing more Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives, advised against town halls after ongoing disruptions by Democratic protesters discontent with President Donald Trump’s second term.
"Clearly, this political theater was designed to only engage Democrats with no real interest in listening to voters who rejected their out-of-touch agenda. Yet another embarrassing charade on Walz’s walk of shame," NRCC spokesman Zach Bannon told Fox News Digital after Walz's Eau Claire town hall.
When Walz announced his red state tour, he framed the town halls as an opportunity for constituents in Republican districts to "make their voices heard."
"I’m hitting the road, traveling to red states across the country to lend a megaphone to the people. Your congressman may not want to listen, but they’re going to hear from us anyway," Walz said in a post.
Wisconsin voter Katrina Patterson recorded video of event staffers blocking Trump supporters from entering Gov. Tim Walz's town hall. (Fox News Digital)
"The only reason they had to kick me out was the fact that I was catching them on camera, doing something wrong that they knew they shouldn't do," Patterson added.
While Patterson did not get the opportunity to voice her concerns at the Walz town hall, she said Rep. Derrick Van. Orden, R-Wis., is "really reachable," and she hasn't had an issue getting in touch with him despite what the Democratic Party says.
"Tim Walz and Democrats have been just really running him through the mud and giving him a hard time for doing virtual town halls," Patterson said. "I watched one the other day and got to throw in some comments there. I did have one question that didn't get answered during that one, but I'm just planning to ask him again the next time around."
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Democrats launched a coordinated effort to host "People’s Town Halls" in all 50 states after disruptive protests led Republican leadership to advise against hosting in-person town halls. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Democratic state parties held a total of 22 events in 13 states during the first week, the DNC told Fox News Digital Friday. The events were billed as "open, inclusive and built to amplify your voice."
Walz did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/first-fox-wisconsinites-kicked-out-denied-entry-walz-town-hall