A Republican Congressman hosts a town hall for his constituents and he’s the bad guy? | Opinion
Democrats in the 3rd Congressional District have called for their Republican Congressman Kevin Kiley to get out of his hiding spot and face them.
“Where’s Kiley?” was the question liberals posted on signs held by demonstrators, hoping it would spark Kiley to explain himself from the corner of streets in places like Roseville.
Well, on Monday night they got their wish, yet not to my surprise, it didn’t satisfy Kiley’s critics at all.
He held a virtual town hall attended by more than 25,000 constituents, answering a wide range of questions. But even with this effort, his critics remained loud and unimpressed.
“Instead, after weeks of requests for an in-person meeting, Kiley pushed a narrative that justified the administration’s illegal, immoral, and destructive actions,” said a statement signed by a collection of organizations whose members are Democrats in Placer County as well as Nevada, and Mono counties. “He made countless misstatements about the facts regarding the tax cuts for billionaires and corporations, deep cuts in veterans’ benefits, and gutting of the federal workforce, especially in areas like the Forest Service, Park Service, and Social Security, that will negatively impact the economy and quality of life in his district.”
Looking at this from a perspective of transparency and public access the facts of Monday’s town hall on balance are in Kiley’s favor.
A harsh evaluation
Kiley represents one of the largest districts in California, which goes all the way east to Lake Tahoe, north through Plumas County and stretches southward all the way to Death Valley and Inyo County. Doing a tele-town hall was Kiley’s way to include everyone in his district, not attempt to get out of accountability.
The congressman and his team say they are poised to keep the conversation going.
“We are working to schedule another as soon as possible so more constituents can provide input and ask questions,” a spokesperson for Kiley said in a statement. “Regrettably a small number of people using one method for joining the event were unable to connect because of a technical issue. That issue will be resolved for our next town hall.”
Republicans nationwide have handled this new Donald Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency poorly. Kiley does have a history of giving more access to donors than to constituents. But instead of hiding from the “Where’s Kiley” critics, his meeting was so well attended that it crashed the phone system. He could’ve used that as an excuse to quit, but he extended an extra 30 minutes. He took live questions and engaged with incredibly critical voters rather than taking pre-screened softball questions.
It was only a month ago when Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) held her own town hall. The format was a 40-minute virtual meeting where her Chief of Staff Jeremy Marcus was the one asking her questions from constituents. She was clearly reading scripted answers. Was there any uproar from liberals then? If we’re going to hold one congressperson’s feet to the fire for a supposedly poor town hall, let’s make sure we do it to everyone.
We’re losing focus
I am not a Kiley ally, nor am I here to defend any of his beliefs or policies or misstatements. Attacking a man who provided direct access to thousands of constituents is what I have a problem with. Democrats don’t win elections by throwing Kiley under the bus. He’s a lifelong conservative Republican who has an endorsement from Donald Trump. Did any Democrat expect to like his answers?
Democrats and Republicans alike advance their agenda at the ballot box. Democrats should find a candidate to rally behind, not whine about a duly elected Republican.
This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
