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Rep. Peter Roskam, of Wheaton, a six-term incumbent with a high profile and fundraising muscle in a reliably Republican district, would not be the target of the House Democrats' campaign arm in normal times.

But Roskam is alone among the state's seven Republican congressmen in that he won another term in November in a district that favored Hillary Clinton for the White House.

And the day after Roskam's staff canceled a meeting last week with 16 constituents concerned about the possible repeal of Obamacare under President Donald Trump, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was ready to pounce.

"If he and his Republican colleagues continue to run scared from their constituents who want to have their voices heard, and share their stories about how the Affordable Care Act has improved their lives, the backlash is only going to grow stronger," said Tyler Law, the DCCC's national press secretary.

Roskam's situation illustrates the fine line some Republican lawmakers find themselves walking with a divisive party flag bearer in the White House. Roskam in the 2016 campaign mostly steered clear of Trump, whom he's never met but for whom he voted.

He said he agrees with Trump on replacing the ACA and overhauling the tax code, but disagrees with the bid to impose a 20 percent tariff on Mexican imports. On Trump's ban on immigrants and refugees from seven mostly Muslim nations, Roskam said the "implementation was bumpy" but he supports "the underlying theme."

Back home, he will clearly have to deal with Trump's actions. On Saturday, hundreds of protesters crowded the parking lot of the Palatine Township Republican Organization's headquarters, where Roskam appeared for the group's monthly meeting. The session had been open to the public but was closed because of high demand, said Aaron Del Mar, the group's chairman.

By Friday, 80 to 90 people had expressed interest in attending, so "preferential treatment" was given to the organization's members, whom Del Mar said were "excited" to hear Roskam discuss priorities of the new Congress.

"If it was at a public library or if it was a town hall, that would be one thing," Del Mar said. "This is a private office where we host Republican-only events. So if they're not Republicans, they're not getting in."

Protesters outside the headquarters Saturday said they were outraged that Roskam would not hold a public town hall meeting to hear from constituents concerned about his support of some of Trump's policies. The protesters stood in the bitter cold, their breath visible in the frosty air as they chanted "You work for us! You work for us!" and "Hey hey, ho ho, Peter Roskam's got to go." Their signs read "Town Hall for all!" and "Listen to your constituents, it's your job." Others signs showed images of Roskam's face transposed onto cartoons of Waldo, the character from the popular children's book series, "Where's Waldo?" The signs were a reference to Roskam's "elusive" behavior, protesters said.

"I had to see it for myself," said Gail Krahenvul, 52, of West Chicago. "That an elected official refuses to meet with his constituents."

She said she thought she'd be the only protester to show up, and was pleasantly surprised by the size of the crowd. "People care about the same issues I care about, even in this Republican district," she said.

Police officers stationed outside the headquarters monitored the crowd as it grew larger. About an hour into the protest, tow trucks arrived at the strip mall parking lot nearby to tow cars belonging to people who weren't business customers, which led to some protesters scrambling to move their cars.

When the meeting ended, Roskam did not exit the headquarters' front doors, which faced the crowd. He instead left from the back door, and as his car pulled away from behind the strip mall, the crowd raced across the parking lot to catch the car before it drove away.

"Coward!" one woman shrieked as she ran after the car, and a group of protesters followed her, echoing her cries.

Roskam is one of 20 Republicans in the U.S. House targeted to harness backlash against Republicans, the DCCC said last week. The DCCC said it was hiring a full-time organizer in Roskam's district in an effort called "March into '18."

The group envisions house parties, phone banks and social media disrupting Roskam's prospects. It plans Twitter ads aimed at people who took part in the Jan. 21 women's marches or rallies to back the Affordable Care Act, Law said.

Roskam's 6th Congressional District is mostly in DuPage County and spills into Cook, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties. He coasted to re-election in the fall with 59 percent of the vote, as did his GOP colleague, Rep. Randy Hultgren, of Plano.

Hultgren, swept into Congress in 2010's tea party wave and is now in his fourth term. He also has been hearing from constituents who favor the ACA. More than 60 people lined up Tuesday at his Campton Hills office but only two were admitted, according to a published report.

Hultgren, like Roskam a former state representative and senator, represents a district that favored Trump in November. Hultgren turned down a Tribune request to address what happened in his Campton Hills office and did not respond to written questions.

He issued a statement Friday evening saying: "We unfortunately are living in a time when emotions are high and reactions can be unpredictable."

It will likely take more than a Democratic staffer in the district to unseat Roskam. Since defeating future U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth by less than 3 percentage points in 2006, Roskam has won re-election by a landslide five times, including under redrawn boundaries that pushed his territory to the west and northwest.

Roskam said his call volume this year was not "particularly high, but it's high," and callers have expressed views for and against Trump.

Constituents were turned away from Wednesday's planned meeting with district staffers because the group wanted to bring a reporter into the session, he said, though the constituent who scheduled the meeting also said they were willing to meet without the journalist. The residents ended up with a meeting of their own and a reporter captured their pro-ACA testimonials.

"Shame on Peter Roskam," said Sandra Alexander, of Glen Ellyn, who set up the meeting.

Roskam said Thursday the constituent meeting would be rescheduled without the press. He also disputed complaints that he has been inaccessible, and blamed the DCCC for "moving stories" to suggest otherwise.

In 2016, he said, he had 74 meetings in his district office; had 30 roundtable table discussions; made 21 visits to schools and 107 visits to local hospitals, businesses and nonprofits; had 113 speaking engagements; and was at 147 other meetings, events and award presentations, he said.

"The DCCC is not new to me," he said. "They were very active in my 2006 and 2008 race, so it comes with the territory."

kskiba@tribpub.com

meltagouri@tribpub.com

Twitter @KatherineSkiba

Twitter @marwaeltagouri

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Roskam among Republicans on tightrope with constituents over Trump - Chicago Tribune