The Story County Democrats hosted a town hall Monday for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District. State Rep. J.D. Scholten (D-Sioux City) and Ryan Melton read questions from the crowd addressed to U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra.
Story County Democratic Party Chair Madalyn Anderson said Feenstra was invited to Monday’s town hall on March 18.
“I received no response, which was not surprising to us,” Anderson said. “So this is what’s called an empty chair town hall.”
The audience was invited to write “questions, comments and concerns” directed to Feenstra for Scholten and Melton to read, which will be relayed to Feenstra’s office.
Scholten and Melton read an estimated 40 questions each and two unreturned letters.
The questions covered a wide range of topics and had many overlaps. Here are some that were asked:
- “What is your view on Trump’s tariff plan?”
- “Do you believe in due process for all people?”
- “How are you going to protect social security, Medicare for seniors?”
- “Why do you support a total abortion ban?”
- “Do you support separation of church and state?”
- “Why are public schools of low value for you?”
“There’s a lot of great questions that go unanswered and representative is the name of the job,” Scholten said. “Listen to your constituents, hold public events. People are frustrated, but people deserve to be heard.”
Iowa’s 4th Congressional District covers the state’s western border, including Sioux City and Council Bluffs, and extends to Ames, Boone, Fort Dodge and Marshalltown.
Feenstra has represented the district since 2021 after defeating Scholten in the 2020 election and defeating Melton in 2022 and 2024.
The town hall was scheduled during the House of Representatives district work period, a built-in time for representatives to meet with the constituents in their district.
In his final comments, Melton encouraged the audience to be “warm and welcoming to those disaffected” or frustrated people who voted for Donald Trump.
“Do whatever you can to remain engaged, to educate yourselves and to do whatever you can to reach out to your friends and family, to bring them into the fold,” Melton said.
According to Story County Democrats, Feenstra has not held any announced public town halls and has none scheduled. Town halls allow direct communication between residents and representatives.
“Many have contacted [Feenstra] asking him to hold announced public town halls,” the Story County Democrats website states.
The Republican Party of Story County holds monthly meetings open to registered Republicans, committee members, guests, those with business to discuss, or individuals approved by the chair or co-chair.
While some residents are frustrated over limited public access to current representation, Scholten shared optimism for what lies ahead.
“Right now, there is a tremendous opportunity for Democrats to go out there, earn votes all across the way and really organize like we haven’t been able to do since before the pandemic,” Scholten said. “I’m excited about what’s out there. I know we’re going to have some very interesting races.”
To contact Feenstra, visit his website. To get in touch with Scholten, find more information on his website. Visit Melton’s website to get in contact with him.
