Constituents of Congressman Tom Perriello, D-Va., holds signs as they listen to the congressman during a town hall meeting on Health Care at the Fluvanna Middle School in Fork Union, Va., Monday, Aug. 17, 2009. Perriello is one of three dozen Democratic Freshmen that have been thrown into the center of one of the most contentious policy debates in years. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Saying if no one else is willing to host a live town hall meeting, two Republican candidates have set one Thursday in Las Vegas.
Danny Tarkanian, who is challenging Sen. Harry Reid for the U.S. Senate, is hosting the healthcare town hall at 5 p.m. Thursday in the Starbright Theater.
Joe Heck, who is challenging Jim Gibbons in the Republican gubernatorial primary, announced Wednesday he will attend the meeting and participate.
Tarkanian announced plans for a live town hall after the incumbent members of Nevada's congressional delegation made it clear they will conduct town hall gatherings on the subject of healthcare by telephone, not live.
Heck, a physician, said he will be available to answer questions about how the current system works and how the reform debate affects Nevada.
Telephone town halls use an automatic dialer to call people and ask them if they wish to join the meeting just a short time before the event begins. That gives them much more control over who attends the meetings in an attempt to avoid disruptive participants.
Reid, however, has said he will make it possible for people to sign up for his town hall in advance by going to his U.S. Senate website.