In the face of a House Ethics Committee probe and a weapons violation charge, Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) will face constituents during a six-day mad dash of 12 town halls.
Spartz, who was charged with bringing a handgun through airport security last month and was reported to be facing House Ethics Committee inquiries into staff abuse claims in June, announced she is hosting 12 in-person town halls from Aug. 12- 17, 2024. This is the most town halls she has hosted in such a short period, only ever hosting up to three town halls in a week.
Moreover, this amount exceeds the total number of town halls she has hosted each year except for her first year in office. When Spartz assumed her role in 2021, she hosted 22 town halls; this number dropped to 3 in 2022 and slightly increased to 8 in 2023.
The 12 town halls Spartz is hosting over the coming days account for nearly 24% of the town halls she has hosted since 2021. These town halls, in addition to the six town halls she hosted at earlier points in the year, place Spartz in sixth place - tying with Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) - among members of Congress for the most town halls hosted in 2024; she ranks third among members of the House of Representatives. This is a position she has not come close to since 2021, when she ranked seventh among members for the most town halls.
Since assuming her position, Spartz's office has consistently seen high staff turnover, ranking between the 98th and 99th percentile for highest staff turnover during each of her years in office. However, this does not appear to have fazed the public, as Spartz "defeated eight competitors" to win her April primary for reelection.
It is unclear if Spartz will address any of the controversy she is facing at her upcoming town halls or if it contributed to her decision to host this sudden flurry of town halls. While members of Congress often offer a description of a town hall that details what they plan to discuss at the event, Spartz does not have a description posted for any of the upcoming town halls on her official calendar.
