Republican US Rep. Johnson to Hold Town Hall with Democratic Congressman

U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson (R-Urbana) will be joined by Democratic Congressman Christopher Murphy of Connecticut in a town hall forum this weekend in Champaign.

Johnson and Murphy co-chair the Center Aisle Caucus. Johnson spokesman Phil Bloomer said the two congressmen will take questions from the public, and demonstrate that despite their differences, both parties can come together.

"We thought it was a very unusual opportunity to bring these two guys together to talk about ways to improve dialogue in Washington, DC instead of calling each other names," Bloomer said.

Johnson, who is running for re-election in the redrawn 13th Congressional District, will do another town hall in Connecticut in Murphy's district.

Meanwhile, Murphy, who has served three terms in Congress, said he hopes the town hall sets an example for other Democrats and Republicans to work more closely on legislation.

"I think job creation is on the minds of the residents of Illinois just like it is in Connecticut, but I'm really hoping to get a broad sense of what it is that people in his district care about," Murphy said. "It will be interesting to match it up with what I'm hearing back in Connecticut."

The town hall will take place on Sunday at 1:30 PM at the I-Hotel at 1900 South First Street in Champaign.