Politics

In New Hampshire, Republicans Make Sen. Shaheen’s Lack Of Town Halls An Issue

Alex Pappas Political Reporter
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No state knows town hall meetings like New Hampshire.

It’s the place where, every four years, presidential candidates hold these sorts of question and answer events.

The state’s long history of holding town halls is part of the reason Republicans in New Hampshire are trying to draw attention to the fact that Democratic incumbent Sen. Jeanne Shaheen doesn’t seem to like them very much.

The Republican opponent Scott Brown’s campaign recently sent a memo to reporters contrasting his candidate’s “open and accessible style of campaigning” with Shaheen’s, pointing out that the Democrat has yet to hold a town hall meeting with voters this election cycle.

On its website, the New Hampshire Republican Party launched a countdown clock noting the last time Shaheen held a town hall (714 days, 21 hours, 29 minutes, 54 seconds at the time this was written Wednesday).

And now, the New Hampshire GOP is sending a staffer dressed in a chicken suit to a Shaheen event holding the sign: “Jeanne Shaheen Too Chicken For Town Halls.”

Ironically, while Shaheen isn’t holding town halls of her own, her supporters are attempting to crash Brown’s voter gatherings to ask the Republican questions about his campaign.

The Daily Caller obtained an email sent this week by Joanne St. John, a member of the Nashua Democratic City Committee, asking fellow Democrats to show up to Brown’s “Obamacare Isn’t Working” town hall and pepper him with questions about the Affordable Care Act.

“The Scott Brown Townhall in Nashua tomorrow night has just been posted online,” St. John wrote. “We need to get as many people there that are prepared to ask questions.”

“Ideally, we would like to have as many people as possible that have benefited from ACA show up and tell him why he is wrong about ACA,” St. John added.

A Shaheen campaign spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment.

Brown campaign manager Colin Reed told The Daily Caller, “We welcome people of all political stripes at our town hall meetings.”

“Since Senator Shaheen refuses to hold town halls this election cycle, the people of New Hampshire have no choice but to come to our events to ask questions about Obamacare, illegal immigration and how the Obama/Shaheen agenda has weakened America at home and around the world,” he said.

Brown’s campaign says he plans to continue doing town halls, including a joint event next week with Arizona Sen. John McCain on foreign policy.

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