U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards will proceed with plans for an in-person town hall event next week in Asheville despite party leadership advising GOP lawmakers to move events to virtual forums.
On Monday, Edwards announced he will hold a town hall next Thursday, March 13, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the Ferguson Auditorium on Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College's campus.
“I’ve had many constituents ask me lately if I could hold another live town hall. The answer is most emphatically, yes," Edwards said in a news release this week. "Being accessible, listening, and answering questions for the people of WNC are among my favorite activities, even if we might not always agree."
A day later, Republican Congressional Committee Chair U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-9) told fellow lawmakers to shift away from in-person gatherings as a safety precaution, The Assembly reported.
The move came after some representatives faced hostility from constituents at town hall events across the country.
A spokesperson from Edwards office confirmed to BPR that the congressman will appear in-person at the event next Thursday.
Edwards explained to Spectrum News 1 why he will hold the in-person event next week. "My responsibility is to hear from people, even though their opinions might differ from mine," he said.
The announcement on Edwards' website does not list any formal RSVP process.
