As their colleagues rolled out presidential campaign announcements over the last few weeks, many of Congress' rank and file spent their April recess holding constituent town hall meetings at regional airports, fire stations, senior centers and hospitals.
Members of Congress have held 845 town halls with constituents so far this year and roughly a third, or 257, came in the last two weeks. LegiStorm tracks town halls by monitoring press coverage and social media.
Republicans in the House held 141 events during the recess period since the end of March compared to 46 for Democrats, while senators hosted 69 town halls, with 44 Republican events and 25 hosted by Democrats.
House representatives sat down for coffee, met aviation "stakeholders and enthusiasts" in Reading, Pa., and went underground in a West Virginia mine during a stop for an above-ground town hall. Senators conducted listening tours, hosted discussions on women's and senior issues at community dinners in Rhode Island, and interacted online via Twitter.
So far this year, Republicans hold four of the top five slots for lawmakers hosting the most town halls, according to LegiStorm tracking. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) leads with 38, followed by Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) with 26, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) with 21, Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) with 21 and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) with 18.
