Rep. John Culberson's Town Hall Meeting Attracts Overflow Crowd

HOUSTON, TX — It wasn't a rock concert or a restaurant giving away barbecue brisket, but the energy and size of the crowd that showed up in Spring Branch on Saturday was full of enthusiasm nevertheless. Instead of music or meat, however, the 1,200 or so people who turned out for Rep. John Culberson's town hall meeting had health care on their minds.

Culberson, whose 7th Congressional district encompasses a small portion of western Harris County and a few affluent communities, including Bellaire and the villages in west Houston, invited constituents to the meeting, and only those with a photo ID and proof of residency were admitted. The town hall, which lasted about two hours, was held at Spring Branch Middle School.

The Republican House member, who supports repealing the Affordable Care Act, was booed several times, including when he spoke about President Donald Trump, the Texas Tribune reported.

Culberson was elected to his ninth term in 2016, but Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump in Culberson's district, a fact that has made some of his constituents call for the Republican to take into account differing viewpoints and opinions.

“The ideology amongst the constituents is changing, and he’s still very hard-line Republican,” Abraham Espinosa, 26, told the Houston Chronicle. Espinosa became a citizen in November and added that he's ready to become a voter

Espinosa, whose parents brought him to Texas from Mexico City when he was an infant, has lived in Culberson's district most of his life and was one of 700 people who got a seat in the auditorium; 500 others were unable to enter the building because of space constraints.