Only a few members of Georgia’s Republican delegation plan upcoming town halls, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution survey of Georgia’s U.S. House members.

One of them is U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, a Jackson Republican and potential U.S. Senate contender. A Collins aide said he held a more routine town hall on Feb. 20 — the same night as McCormick’s event — and plans others.

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has hosted about a dozen in-person town halls since 2022, said through a spokesman she plans to continue holding events across her northwest Georgia district later this year.

So does U.S. Rep. Brian Jack, a newly elected Trump ally who campaigned on a pledge to be available to constituents in his west Georgia territory.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Some were more cautious. A deputy to U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter said the Republican will continue to hold events in his Savannah-based district “in a variety of formats and settings.”

Five other Republican U.S. House members didn’t respond to questions about their schedules following the McCormick blowup.

At that Roswell City Hall event last week, furious voters vented their frustration over Elon Musk’s teardown of the federal bureaucracy and deep cuts to federal agencies like the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

McCormick struggled throughout the event to counter the backlash, at one point comparing the jeering crowd to the pro-Trump mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

But he softened his tone days later, telling the “Politically Georgia” podcast that he empathized with their concerns as he urged the White House to slow the pace of sweeping changes.

“I’d rather see us take a deep breath, move a little bit slower and a little bit more deliberately. That’s kind of, generally, the feeling for a lot of people,” he said. “I want to make sure we’re doing the right thing.”

‘Show up’

Notably, McCormick did not repeat criticism from Trump allies who dismissed the attendees as outsiders who weren’t from his district, which stretches from Atlanta’s suburbs to the north Georgia mountains.

But in his weekly newsletter on Friday he said that “orchestrated protests and screaming matches” won’t change his support from Trump’s push to reduce the size of the federal government.

Local Democrats say this is no astroturf movement. Becky Woomer, a Forsyth County Democrat, was among the local leaders who helped organize the opposition.

“You may think one person doesn’t matter or your opinion won’t make a difference, but you don’t know who might show up or stand up because you did,” she said after the event.

Credit: Ben Gray

Credit: Ben Gray

As tensions threaten to flare again, some operatives are also quietly strategizing how to sidestep future public confrontations. That includes screening attendees, preselecting questions in advance, moving to invite-only events or limiting access to confirmed constituents.

It’s a familiar playbook. Fifteen years ago, lawmakers from both parties recalibrated their strategies after raucous Tea Party demonstrations erupted at public events protesting President Barack Obama’s health care law and spending plan.

Many scaled back in-person town halls, canceled scheduled events or declined invitations from activists — a strategy that veteran Republican operative Brian Robinson said he’d recommend again.

“Our representatives — Republicans or Democrats — don’t have an obligation to participate in a made-for-media spectacle meant to humiliate them,” he said.

“A town hall that’s nothing but screams, boos and catcalls isn’t forwarding a civic purpose,” added Robinson. “I wouldn’t volunteer to get abused for somebody else’s viral video.”

While most Republicans were silent on their plans, several Democratic lawmakers are readying their own in-person meetings.

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson of Lithonia recently held two virtual events and will schedule both an in-person and telephone town hall in March and April.

Johnson aide Jay Parrish said the office has been flooded with calls and messages from metro Atlanta constituents fearful of Trump’s first month in office.

“A lot of people are scared,” he said, “and we need to be sure they have information they can take back with them and share.”

Democratic U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock also plan upcoming town halls, with Warnock set to hold a virtual event on March 11.

As for McCormick, he told “Politically Georgia” he might schedule another town hall if he and his advisers believe it would be productive.

“I just want to make sure that it’s going to be a good conversation.”

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS