Claire McCaskill promises to hold town hall meetings

Sen. Claire McCaskill is vowing to hold town hall meetings, saying she has never run away from the forums, which have become go-to venues for roasting elected leaders.

Mrs. McCaskill is one of the most vulnerable Democrats heading into the 2018 election, and has faced some recent criticism over her reluctance to appear at town hall style meetings — including in a Facebook live event Monday when a questioner asked whether she is afraid to face her constituents and plans to hide behind social media.

“Of course I am going to have town halls, I enjoy town halls,” she said.

Sitting on a couch and responding to questions she read from her phone, Mrs. McCaskill said she “weathered” town halls in 2009 and 2010 when when many of colleagues did not and when voters vented about Obamacare.

“I will have town halls soon,” she said. “This is not something that I ever have shied away from.”

The Associated Press reported last week that Ms. McCaskill recently declined an invitation from Kansas City Indivisible to appear at a town hall event, and that it has been a pattern among Democrats that could be fighting for their political lives next year.