(C) South Dakota Searchlight
This story was originally published by South Dakota Searchlight and is unaltered.
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South Dakota Democrats announce town hall meetings as frustration grows, even among some Republicans • South Dakota Searchlight [1]
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Date: 2025-04
SIOUX FALLS — A lack of in-person town hall meetings by South Dakota’s members of Congress has Democrats upset, and also some Republicans.
The South Dakota Democratic Party announced on Monday that it will conduct public town halls in four South Dakota cities “in the absence of South Dakota’s Republican senators and congressman.”
Afterward, state Republican Party Chairman Jim Eschenbaum told South Dakota Searchlight by phone that he’s also heard complaints about the congressional delegation’s accessibility.
“Even some Republicans have been saying that,” Eschenbaum said.
DOGE in SD For more about the impact of federal firings, funding freezes, spending cuts and grant cancellations, see Searchlight’s DOGE in SD page.
Democrats held a press conference to announce their town halls, which will be led by Nikki Gronli, former state rural development director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Biden administration. Julian Beaudion, a Sioux Falls businessman and former state trooper turned community activist, will also participate in the town halls. He filed paperwork Monday with the Federal Election Commission to potentially run next year for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican.
The press conference came two days after thousands of people took to the streets in Sioux Falls, and crowds also gathered in other cities, to join in national protests against the Trump administration.
Democrats at the Monday press conference alleged that the congressional delegation has been “silent” and ignored calls and emails from constituents who are upset about the Trump administration’s mass firings of federal employees, dismantling of federal departments and programs, freezes or cancellations of federal grants and spending, and tariffs.
“A chainsaw has been taken to the pocketbooks and retirement plans of hardworking South Dakotans, all while safety net programs are being dismantled,” Gronli said.
Beaudion added, “We are about putting the people first.”
The announcement follows public criticisms of U.S. Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds, along with Rep. Dusty Johnson, who are all Republicans, for not holding in-person town halls. The Thune and Rounds offices did not immediately respond Monday to South Dakota Searchlight’s request for a response to those criticisms.
Johnson’s office sent a statement: “Dusty’s commitment to town halls has earned him the ‘Most Accessible’ award from the Congressional Management Foundation. Since taking office, Dusty has held more than 100 town halls, including recent in-person town halls at senior living facilities, workplaces, and community organization forums. He also hosts monthly telephone townhalls which allow thousands of constituents to participate – which is a much higher attendance than in-person events could gather.”
The award Johnson referenced is from 2021. He has conducted question-and-answer sessions at senior living facilities, including at Dow Rummel Village in Sioux Falls last year, where the audience consisted of facility residents and staff. He also routinely visits workplaces for tours and discussions with an audience of owners, employees and supervisors, and he often conducts roundtable discussions, such as one recently in Sioux Falls that featured expert panelists discussing efforts to combat illicit fentanyl use. He also has spoken to community groups like Rotary clubs, but advisories sent by his office to the media typically do not describe those events as town halls or include invitations for the broader public.
Last month, media outlets including Politico reported that U.S. House Republican leaders advised their members to avoid in-person town hall meetings due to increasing confrontations with constituents over policies carried out by President Donald Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk.
The reports said House Speaker Mike Johnson and National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson recommended shifting to virtual formats like tele-town halls to mitigate disruptions from protesters.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated since its original publication with additional information about Julian Beaudion and a response from Rep. Dusty Johnson’s office.
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https://southdakotasearchlight.com/briefs/south-dakota-democrats-announce-town-hall-meetings-as-frustration-grows-even-among-some-republicans/
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