Constituents push for more action from Democrats at U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson's town hall

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Congressman Hank Johnson answered constituent questions at a town hall in Gwinnett County

Credit: Sarah Kallis/GPB News

Constituents at U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson's town hall in Gwinnett County on Wednesday evening pressed Johnson on why Democrats in Congress are not doing more to block President Donald Trump’s agenda.

"You're telling us we have to stay with this abusive boyfriend until November of next year," one woman said, "Why are you leading me if I am more brave than you?"

Johnson, who has been in his congressional seat for nearly 18 years, urged constituents to vote for Democrats in 2026 and consider peacefully protesting in the meantime. He said Democrats' hands are tied while Republicans hold the majority in both chambers of Congress. 

"Peaceful means seem to be limited, but they do work," Johnson said. "They take time, but at some point the dam breaks and the water gushes forward."

He emphasized that he understands the frustration, but says it is up to the people now to vote Democrats back into the majority if they want to see more resistance against Trump. 

“No point in blaming Democrats for us being in this situation where our democracy is threatened, our economy is threatened, public health, national security being threatened," he told reporters after the event. "No point pointing fingers at each other about that; we must confront the threat to our existence that is posed by Donald Trump."

Some attendees also expressed a desire for newer and Democratic candidates. 

"How can we advance the conversation within the Democratic Party that sometimes we just need to pass the baton to the next generation?" attendee Shelley Abraham asked. 

Johnson said it's not up to the Democratic Party to decide who is too old to run. 

"The thing is, it's not the Democratic Party protecting incumbents; it's the people who elect those incumbents," the 70-year-old congressman said. "Maybe it's because they like the incumbent, even though he or she may be elderly."

Conversations about candidates' age heated up after former President Joe Biden sought reelection as the oldest president in 2024 before bowing out of the race. Three sitting Democrats in the U.S. House have died this year, leaving their seats open. All were over 70 years old.

Johnson is one of a handful of members of Congress from Georgia who have held in-person town halls for their constituents since the beginning of Trump's second term. Voters across the state have pushed for more in-person town halls, and some have even held their own town halls without the representatives.