Mark Alford held 15 public events across his west-central Missouri district, including five town halls, aiming to engage voters in person. His district spans 24 counties and he is a 61-year-old former TV-news anchor who has voted with his party 89 percent of the time, according to Heritage Action. At events announced weeks in advance and open to the press, Alford sat on a stool instead of using a podium to avoid appearing to "lord" over voters and emphasized returning every two years to listen. Since March, Republican leaders advised against town halls, leaving most GOP lawmakers physically present but largely inaccessible; some have held limited or virtual, prescreened events. Alford’s forums offer direct insight into voter views and foreshadow potential 2026 fights.
Even as most congressional Republicans are avoiding their constituents, one has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to engaging with voters in the flesh: 61-year-old Mark Alford of Missouri held not one but 15 public events across his district this week, including five town halls.
Alford, whose district spans 24 counties in west-central Missouri, is a former TV-news anchor with a square jaw and gray hair that make him resemble a slightly younger version of Pat Sajak. At each of his recent public events, which were announced weeks ago and were open to the press, Alford forwent the customary politician's podium. Instead he perched on a stool to avoid the appearance, he told me, of "lording" over voters.
Since March, when Republican leaders in Congress advised their members against holding town halls, most GOP lawmakers have been AWOL during each congressional recess-physically in their districts, maybe, but mostly inaccessible. A handful of lawmakers have flouted this new advice by holding one or two stand-alone town halls, while others have only dared to host virtual events with prescreened questions.
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