Sen. Claire McCaskill to host public town hall in Fulton
UPDATE: Sen. Claire McCaskill was greeted with her second standing ovation of the day. She spoke about a variety of topics, including Planned Parenthood, Judge Neil Gorsuch, the EPA, Obamacare and the air strike on Syria. She also said she believes that town hall meeting are very important. “When you come out and face people who are upset with you, who disagree with you, it makes you a better congress person or senator,” she told ABC 17 News.
ORIGINAL: Sen. Claire McCaskill will hold a public town hall meeting at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Callaway Senior Center in Fulton.
It’s one of eight town halls that the Democratic senator will host across Missouri this week, including Buchanan, Greene, Jefferson, Marion, New Madrid, Phelps and Platte counties. All meetings are being held in predominantly Republican areas.
“I think it’s important that I hold myself accountable to Missourians, and having public town halls, where any Missourian can show up and chew on me about what they think I’m doing right or wrong, and share their ideas and concerns, is a great way to do it,” McCaskill said in a statement. “Town halls like these are part of what makes our democracy great, and I think every elected official would benefit from listening and learning from Missourians, face-to-face.”
McCaskill held a town hall event earlier Wednesday in Hillsboro, about 45 miles southwest of St. Louis. The senator was greeted by a standing ovation, a very different response from the hostility experienced by some of her Republican counterparts since the November election.
About 150 people turned out for the event in Hillsboro. McCaskill was applauded for expressing her support for Planned Parenthood. She also called on both Democrats and Republicans to “fix the problems of Obamacare.”
A spokesperson for McCaskill told ABC 17 News that Wednesday’s town hall in Fulton will be “very open.” He said people will be allowed to write down questions, and they will be pulled out of a hat at random.
ABC 17 News will be attending the town hall meeting and will have all the latest in our 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts.
