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Monday, Mar 31, 2025

Did Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs host a ‘town hall’ event that denied entry to Democrats and independents?

Carmela Guaglianone, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
no

U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., recently spoke at an event billed as a “town hall” that exclusively admitted members of the Republican Party, but his office did not host it. A Legislative District 12 Republican Committee leader organized the private event under the Maricopa County Republican Committee. Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen and Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan also appeared as speakers. 

Constituents across the country have used town halls to express outrage at their elected officials in recent weeks. Videos of these confrontations have been shared on social media and by news outlets, reportedly prompting prominent Republican officials to urge lawmakers to stop hosting such events. Some constituents have begun holding their own “empty chair” town halls in response.

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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.

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