• Over the weekend, over a thousand people packed a venue in Columbus for a mock ‘town hall’ to denounce Republican members of Congress for not opposing actions by Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
• The event is part of a slew of protests and creative actions, like missing posters made for Ohio’s Senators, by central Ohio protesters since Trump took office.
• Residents say their lawmakers are difficult to reach. They struggle to get meetings even with their staff and receive form letter responses.
• Republican lawmakers say they are meeting with constituents.
• Senator Bernie Moreno accused protesters of being funded by dark money. Organizers refute this.

Over the weekend, more than a thousand people packed the Valley Dale Ballroom in Columbus for a rally hosted by Indivisible Central Ohio at which speakers derided their Republican members of Congress for not opposing cuts and other actions by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

Organizers called the Saturday event a “town hall” and set empty chairs on stage for Ohio’s Republican senators, Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted, who did not respond to organizers’ invitations to attend. Moreno was at the Tuscarawas County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday.

In protest, the group posed questions they would’ve asked the senators to ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence platform.

“The purpose of the event was to show how desperate people are to protect their country, their democracy and how desperate they are to see our elected representatives, our senators, feel the same kind of concern we do,” said one of the organizers, Clintonville resident Mia Lewis, 63. “We knew that it was a congressional recess and we figured hey, they’re here, part of their job is coming home periodically to talk to their constituents. Let’s invite them to something.”

Indivisible Central Ohio also invited Franklin County’s U.S. representatives, Republican Mike Carey and Democrat Joyce Beatty, who both told organizers they had prior commitments. Beatty provided a statement to be read at the event.

Saturday’s event mirrors so-called town halls held nationwide over the weekend and in recent weeks as many Americans express outrage at Trump’s actions and frustration with their members of Congress. This event was part of a slew of protests in central Ohio, including demonstrations at the Ohio Statehouse; weekly Wednesday demonstrations in front of the John W. Bricker Federal Building, Downtown, where Moreno has an office; and weekly Saturday demonstrations against Musk outside the Tesla dealership at Easton Town Center.

Trump’s net approval rating is nearly even, according to recent polls, with about half of Americans disapproving and half approving. For many who disapprove, they feel compelled to speak out.

The recent level of constituents reaching out to members of Congress and participating in political events is unusually high and shows a lot of concern, said Paul Beck, professor emeritus of political science at Ohio State University. 

“It takes a lot to motivate people to get out of their easy chair, particularly on a February or March day when it’s either snowing or cold outside,” Beck said.

Central Ohioans who have tried to reach their Republican lawmakers accuse them of being unresponsive to constituents. They say it’s difficult to get meetings even with staffers or they receive form letter responses that don’t address their concerns.

Indivisible Central Ohio and others have called on their members of Congress to host their own town halls and hear from constituents. Demonstrators have made missing posters to try to shame Moreno, Husted and Carey.

Husted and Carey’s offices say they are meeting with voters and attending public events. An aide for Husted said he is holding events open to Ohioans — in Washington, D.C. A spokesperson for Moreno accused Indivisible Central Ohio protesters of being funded by dark money. Organizers refute that.

Meryl Neiman, 58, a Bexley resident and organizer with Indivisible Central Ohio, said members of Congress should listen to their constituents, whether or not they voted for them.

“That’s your job — not to take abuse — but be willing to stand up and have the spine to explain why you’re doing what you’re doing or not doing,” Neiman said.

Republican leadership, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, has recently encouraged Republican lawmakers to avoid town halls since anti-Trump protesters have started showing up.

Neiman would like to ask Ohio’s senators:

“I’d like to know what line in the sand the president might cross that would cause you to speak up and say something or even consider impeachment,” Neiman said. “For example, if the president openly defies a decision by the Supreme Court, at that point would you stand up and say something?”

In her statement read at Saturday’s event, Beatty said:

“I hear you. We hear you. Democrats hear you. So many of you have called my office, sent letters, emails, posted on social media, and more, pleading with us to act. We see it all, and we’re hard at work to protect your hard-earned freedoms and resources. Personally, like you, I am frustrated and even angry with this Trump/Musk administration.”

Congress members say they are holding events, meeting with voters

Jack Chambers, a spokesperson for Carey, said Carey spent the recess last week meeting with constituents, including at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s State of the Region event. He also pointed to meetings Carey had with the family of a World War II Aircraft gunner turning 100, the leadership of the Community Action Center of Fayette County, and the Messer Construction Company.

An aide for Husted told The Dispatch in an email that Husted has been part of 70 meetings with Ohioans and Ohio employers since being appointed senator in January and his staff has taken more than 140 meetings.

The aide wrote, “Sen. Husted is holding events that are public and open to all Ohioans, including one this morning. About 50 people attended his Husted Huddle on March 11.”

Asked where these open events are held, the aide said the huddles are held periodically in Washington.

Some residents have criticized Husted for not opening an office in Ohio yet. His aide said, “We are actively onboarding state staff and opening multiple offices across Ohio over the coming weeks.”

They added, “We’ve overcome technical challenges in the Senate voice mail system so that Ohioans can share their thoughts with the senator.”

Carey and Husted have frequently expressed support for Trump and Trump’s policies.

“Ohioans have made it clear they’re grateful to see Washington finally keeping its promise to stop the wasteful spending that fueled inflation and hurts Ohio families and workers,” the Husted aide said. “So far, we’ve seen this administration take steps to give taxpayers better federal services at lower costs — the opposite of the pattern they’ve seen from Washington for too long. If there are any unintended consequences of the administration’s work to save taxpayer money, we expect the president’s team will continue working to resolve them quickly.”

Moreno says protesters funded by dark money

Moreno’s office accused Indivisible Central Ohio of being funded by dark money in an emailed statement to The Dispatch.

“It’s no surprise that the same liberal billionaires who funded Sherrod Brown’s failing campaign are now propping up dark money groups like Indivisible to lie to Ohioans. Senator Moreno’s top priority is fighting every day for Ohioans of all stripes, no matter what lies radical leftists throw at him,” said Reagan McCarthy, a spokesperson for Moreno.

Moreno has previously accused protesters outside his office of being funded by dark money and on X earlier this month shared a screenshot from a conservative political website, The Washington Free Beacon. The screenshot of a headline said, “Activist with criminal record spearheads weekly Bernie Moreno protests,” referencing Neiman.

Neiman was arrested and charged with misdemeanor trespassing in 2018 for her involvement in a sit-in inside then-Sen. Rob Portman’s office during Trump’s first term. She was protesting family separation at the border.

“These people don’t have the courage to host a town hall but they take shots at constituents from behind social media,” Neiman said. “They’re constantly talking about our dark money funding, and I’m like, where is it?”

She said while the national Indivisible movement may have big donors, the local group doesn’t.

More protests planned

Mary Mynatt, 73, of Grove City, a leader with Indivisible Central Ohio who founded Progress Grove City, participated in two protests on Tuesday. She and others took a stack of postcards and pink slips written by constituents at the Saturday event to Carey’s office Tuesday afternoon at 140 E. Town St. Afterward, they demonstrated with signs outside Carey’s office.

On Tuesday, Mynatt, a Navy veteran, participated in a demonstration outside the Chalmers P. Wylie Veterans Outpatient Clinic in Columbus to protest Trump’s cuts to veterans’ services.

The momentum against Trump’s administration is only building in central Ohio, organizers say.

“The frustration is high right now in the general population, among all kinds of people, not just Democrats,” Mynatt said. “Republicans, independents, everybody sees what’s happening.”

Meanwhile, counter-protests are starting to pop up in central Ohio. Americans for Prosperity-Ohio announced it is holding its own rally Wednesday afternoon outside Moreno’s downtown Columbus office at the same time as the weekly protest by Ohio Progressive Action Leaders Coalition. Americans for Prosperity is a Virginia-based political action committee supported by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch.

In a release from Americans for Prosperity-Ohio, it said the rally comes as protesters flood Moreno’s phone lines with “disruptive tactics,” and that it will stand up for Moreno and “policies that promote prosperity and growth for all Ohioans.”

Government and Politics Reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.