In Case You Missed It: Tester Town Hall Highlights Daines’ “Disdain” for In-Person Town Halls with Montanans

Helena – About 150 Montanans in Bozeman attended one of Sen. Jon Tester’s in-person town halls this week. At the same time, Montana’s junior senator, Sen. Steve Daines, has shown a lack of interest in talking with his constituents at in-person town halls.

Last year, Daines called face-to-face town halls with Montanans “big protests” instead of “civil discourse.”

“Steve Daines’ disdain for facing Montanans shows he’s more interested in meeting with corporate donors and lobbyists than his constituents,” said Montana Democratic Party Executive Director Monica Lindeen. “Montanans expect transparency from their elected officials, and they deserve a public forum where they can hold them accountable. Daines has publicly said in-person town halls with his constituents amount to ‘protests,’ but if he’d had any face-to-face town halls with Montanans recently, he’d know that couldn’t be a worse misrepresentation of our friends and neighbors.”

In-person town halls allow constituents to hold their members of Congress and other elected representatives accountable by asking questions and having open discussions in public.