Club for Growth leader urges GOP lawmakers to keep holding town halls

The leader of a top conservative group is urging Republican lawmakers to face voters at town halls against the advice of the House GOP’s campaign arm.

David McIntosh, president of the Club for Growth, said Thursday that Republican members of Congress should not shy away from the events that have been flooded by critics frustrated with cuts made by President Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk.

“Do your job. Because the worst thing that can happen for a member of either party is to get out of touch with their constituents,” McIntosh said at a press briefing in Washington. “If the other team’s good at basketball, you don’t leave the field.”

That flies in the face of advice given by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, who told lawmakers in a private meeting this month to stop holding in-person town halls.

McIntosh said Republicans are facing an uphill battle to hold onto their House majority in next year’s midterms and must show Americans that they can deliver on the GOP agenda to change Washington in order to have a better chance. He said he worries, in particular, that the Democrats’ message that Republicans want to cut Medicaid is an effective attack without a solid counterargument.

“The historical trend is the party that doesn't have the White House gains seats, and with the margin so close, it's going to be tough for Republicans to keep the majority,” he said.

However, he argued that the House districts in play next year favor Republicans, “so that’s one thing that gives me hope.”

McIntosh said that if GOP lawmakers worry their opponents are organizing people to show up at their town halls, they should encourage their supporters to attend, too.

McIntosh said that he has not coordinated with Musk’s political team yet, but “it’s kind of on my to-do list, reach out to those folks and signal what we're doing” because it’s critical to work with other conservative groups ahead of the midterm election.