Voters ‘empty chair’ Republicans who are skipping town halls across the country as anger grows about Musk and Russia
Amid viral protests at town halls, constituents are now empty-chairing their Republican representatives to share their frustrations in the absence of their political leaders.
GOP bosses have told their members not to appear at town hall meetings to avoid having to face down voters’ fury at the policies pushed by the administration of President Donald Trump. Voters are especially outraged at Elon Musk’s effort to gut the federal government and the civil service.
During the congressional recess that came to an end on Sunday, local activists held events where voters could voice their opinions even if their congressional representatives chose not to attend the events they were invited to.
New York voters railed at an empty chair holding a photo of Rep. Elise Stefanik at a town hall event hosted by Indivisible ADK, according to WRGB.
“Will you stand up for your people and Congress by taking food out of the mouths of hungry constituents in your district?” one attendee asked.
“What, Elise, are you gonna do to ensure that the Trump administration does the same?” another asked. Others simply questioned where she was.
“Congresswoman Stefanik has hosted thousands of events since she was first elected, which is why she was consistently overwhelmingly re-elected for six terms, earning the highest number of votes in the North Country in history for a Congressional candidate,” Stefanik spokesperson Alex DeGrasse told CBS6. “This is the same failed playbook radical Leftist Democrats have used every cycle.”
Similarly, Montana voters shared their concerns regarding cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Missoula Current reported.
Meanwhile, the Alaska Current reported that event attendees in the state slammed Trump for his attacks on longtime allies such as Canada while at the same time taking a more friendly approach to traditional adversaries such as Russia.
Voters at an event in Anchorage took aim at empty chairs holding signs saying “Chicken Nick” and “Doorman Dan” in reference to Rep. Nick Begich and Sen. Dan Sullivan.
One woman said she had voted for Sullivan for the last time after he voted to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“Dan, what were you thinking!” she said. “Obviously, it’s not the American people, not the defense of the country. Maybe you have a little Russian in you, Dan!”
Mike Macans told the attendees at the Alaska event that he had been fired several times from his job at the Small Business Administration.
“Everyday Alaskans are the ones left reeling from the destruction of our critical services,” said Macans. “Representative Begich and Senator Sullivan refused to sit down with us. They refused to stand up for everyday salt-of-the-earth Alaskans. … Where the hell are you?”
