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Michael Baumgartner to hold town hall meetings on Monday in Spokane and Ritzville

Congressman Michael Baumgartner will host two town halls on Monday, March 17. In this photo, Baumgartner listens to a question during a Jan. 11 town hall meeting. (DAN PELLE/FOR THESPOKESMN-REVIEW)
By Orion Donovan Smith orionds@spokesman.com(202) 853-2524
Congressman Michael Baumgartner will host two town halls on Monday, March 17. In this photo, Baumgartner listens to a question during a Jan. 11 town hall meeting. (DAN PELLE/FOR THESPOKESMN-REVIEW)

WASHINGTON – Rep. Michael Baumgartner will meet with his constituents in Spokane and Ritzville on Monday, a relatively rare move at a time when many of his fellow Republicans are avoiding in-person town halls in their districts.

The first-term Republican from Spokane announced the two town hall meetings in a statement on Friday, reiterating his commitment to meet regularly with the people he represents – even after the chairman of the House GOP’s campaign arm, Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, reportedly advised his fellow Republicans on March 4 to stop holding town halls amid public anger over the Trump administration’s first two months in office.

“I came to Congress to fight for Eastern Washington’s values and its people,” Baumgartner said in a statement. “These town halls are an opportunity to hear directly from you, my ‘bosses,’ about what matters most. I intend to continue hosting town halls in all forms as your Congressman. Whether you voted for me or not, I work for you, and I am grateful for the chance to serve all of Eastern Washington.”

The first meeting is scheduled to run from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Legion Hall, located at 106 W. Broadway Ave. in Ritzville.

Later on Monday, the congressman will appear at Whitworth University’s Cowles Auditorium for a moderated discussion as part of the school’s Democracy & Discourse speaker series. That event will begin at 6 p.m. and attendance will require a free ticket, which can be obtained at the following website: whitworth.edu/election-year.

As of Saturday morning, all tickets for the Whitworth event had been claimed. Tickets are not required for the event in Ritzville.

Tickets became available online, according to Whitworth, only after the Senate passed a spending bill to fund the government and avert a shutdown that would have begun on Saturday and required lawmakers to remain in Washington, D.C.

Editor’s note: This story was updated on March 15 to reflect that all tickets for the Whitworth University event had been claimed as of Saturday morning.