An empty chair with a sign reading, “Rep. Erin Houchin” sat in the middle of Bloomington City Hall’s Council Chambers on Saturday morning.
Houchin, the U.S. representative for Indiana’s 9th Congressional District, which includes Bloomington, has garnered criticism in recent months for what some view as a lack of public availability to constituents. That was why the Indiana Democratic Party organized its People’s Town Hall, which acted primarily as a condemnation of recent U.S. and Indiana Republican actions and a recruitment opportunity for the Democrats.
“The Democratic Party needs to rebuild the machine,” Karen Tallian, newly-elected Indiana Democratic Party chair, said. “Pledge No. 1: that’s what we’re going to do, from the precinct organization on up, this is now guerrilla warfare.”
Sam Barloga, Indiana Democratic Party communications director, said Houchin’s office did not respond to an emailed invitation to attend the town hall.
In recent months there’ve been contentious town halls with Republican lawmakers nationwide, largely centering on actions taken by President Donald Trump’s administration. Indiana U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz faced backlash and boos during town halls last month in Westfield and Muncie.
The National Republican Congressional Committee chair Richard Hudson told House Republicans in March to stop in-person town halls amid the backlash. He instead encouraged virtual town halls, which he said could give legislators more control. His advice wasn’t binding, and some Republicans, like Spartz, have continued to host them. Houchin put a pause on some of her regularly scheduled office hours in Bedford last month.
Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith is set to host a town hall in Bloomington later this month, and U.S. Sen. Todd Young will appear at a Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce event Tuesday.
The town hall Saturday, as well as a companion one in the afternoon in New Albany, was in response to the pause. It’s part of a growing trend of “empty chair” town halls across the country, where Democratic politicians or organizers host events to point out the absence of Republican lawmakers in their communities.
Speaking Saturday were Tallian, Indiana Democratic Rep. Matt Pierce of Bloomington, pastor Thomas Horrocks, who ran unsuccessfully for Indiana House District 62 last year, Bloomington City Council President Hopi Stosberg and City Clerk Nicole Bolden. Around 80 people attended.
They talked about the importance of mobilizing amid state property tax legislation, uncertain tariffs and other developments. Horrocks said his time as a pastor and army chaplain taught him more unites Americans and Hoosiers than divides them, even if officials say otherwise. Tallian told attendees to “channel your anger” into supporting the party.
“The midterm election must be an unambiguous repudiation of this president, his policies and his lawlessness,” Pierce said, getting applause.
Stosberg and Bolden, who’s also the Democratic Party vice chair for the 9th Congressional District, described some of the local effects of federal and state developments. Stosberg said the Bloomington City Council is already considering how that uncertainty will impact next year’s city budget, which was a focus of its meeting last Wednesday.
Bolden said many of the thousands of federal workers facing layoffs are neighbors in the 9th district. She also said the recently amended Indiana Senate Bill 1 property tax relief bill will be a hit to schools, economic development and the community.
The latest fiscal note for SB 1 states there will be a tax revenue loss of over $386 million for counties statewide next year. That includes a $9,851,000 loss for Monroe County.
The Bloomington City Council occasionally directs Bolden to send copies of legislation to officials, including Indiana’s Congressional delegation. One example came when the council passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire and more aid in the Israel-Hamas War last year. Bolden also said whenever she is directed to send something to Houchin’s office on behalf of the City of Bloomington, she has never heard anything back, except for once.
“It is surprising to me because I’ve never not heard back from our elected officials at the district level or the state level when we do that,” Bolden said after the meeting.
She told the Indiana Daily Student she once received a letter back to her home address rather than the office address on the letterhead.
Daniel Jenkins, vice president of the statewide College Democrats of Indiana who worked for Horrocks’ campaign, attended the town hall. He said he wasn’t surprised Houchin didn't attend. He said this trend of empty seat town halls is more effective than past Democratic strategies.
“I think it’s important to just highlight how not present a lot of Republicans are in their districts,” he said.
