As House Republicans excitedly prepare for President-elect Donald Trump’s second stint in the White House, many Democrats are opting to avoid the “chaos” of Inauguration Day — including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
A once-firebrand progressive who has since shifted center-left during her terms in Congress, eyes have been on Ocasio-Cortez to see whether she will attend the inauguration of a man who she has vigorously opposed in and out of campaign season.
Ocasio-Cortez told the Washington Examiner that she will not be attending the inauguration.
“I think it’s the general kind of safety and logistical chaos in that event. I’m opting out,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
The Washington Examiner reached out or talked to every House Democrat ahead of the election. Including Ocasio-Cortez, 35 lawmakers responded to whether they would attend the inauguration or not.
Not Attending
Seven House Democrats are joining Ocasio-Cortez in skipping the inauguration, with reasons varying from conflicts due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day to an outright dislike of the incoming president.
Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) said in a statement to the Washington Examiner he holds “great respect” for the office of the president but accused Trump of consistently failing to “recognize that all of us who are in elected office succeed only to the extent that we hand our position off to our successor in better shape than we found it.”
“On Jan. 20, I could attend the inauguration and listen to the president-elect debase the office of president of the United States,” Casten said. “Or I could spend the day with family, honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his patriotism, and the dream he had for the United States. I choose the latter.”
Rep. Delia Ramirez’s (D-IL) office pointed the Washington Examiner to a statement the congresswoman gave Axios when asked why she would not attend the inauguration.
“I am a brown woman, daughter of immigrants, and I would feel unsafe,” Ramirez said. “And a better way to celebrate MLK — who is the exact opposite of what we’re about to get as president – is to be with my community, with my people. Especially as this man, on day one, announces all the horrible things he will do to try to harm the communities I love.”
Like his colleagues, Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) will not attend the inauguration due to districtwide events for MLK Day.
“The congressman spent years at the forefront of the fight to establish MLK Day as a national holiday and then later to establish it as a National Day of Service,” Mfume’s spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. “As such, his entire day is spent every year engaging in acts of service out of respect for Dr. King’s legacy.”
Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) told the Washington Examiner she will not attend the inauguration because of the wildfires sweeping across California that have left 24 people dead and hundreds of people homeless. Chu said she will “be in my district with my constituents to continue supporting the wildfire response and recovery efforts.” She will also attend MLK Day events.
Other House Democrats skipping the inauguration include Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Sylvester Turner (D-TX).
Attending
Of the 35 who responded, 26 House Democrats said they plan on attending the inauguration.
Those include Reps. Greg Stanton (D-AZ), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Scott Peters (D-CA), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), John Larson (D-CT), Joe Courtney (D-CA), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), John Olszewski (D-MD), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Laura Gillen (D-NY), John Mannion (D-NY), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Emilia Sykes (D-OH), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Gabe Amo (D-RI), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA), and Becca Balint (D-VA).
Notable attendees include Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), Democratic Policy and Communications Committee Co-chairwoman Lori Trahan (D-MA), Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY), and Reps. Sarah McBride (D-DE) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA).
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), the newly appointed ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, told the Washington Examiner he is unsure whether he will attend.
“Right now, we are organizing a lottery for my constituents who want to attend,” Connolly said. “I have finalized no plans for that day, which conflicts with MLK Jr. Day events in my district.”
Ticket Distribution
Many members and their offices told the Washington Examiner that they experienced a high demand for tickets to Trump’s second inauguration. Thousands of spectators are expected to attend the event, and each House lawmaker on both sides of the aisle received a certain number of tickets to distribute to constituents.
Several lawmakers said they experienced a high demand for tickets, with some using a lottery system or an online form to process requests. Others posted on social media, asking constituents to email designated staffers.
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Some members placed limits on their tickets, allowing constituents to only receive up to two or four per request.
Members do not get an official guest ticket, but some have held on to tickets to invite either a spouse or an important constituent in their district. Stanton, for example, is bringing Mark Freeman, the new mayor of Mesa, Arizona. Others, like Thanedar and Mannion, are bringing a family member.
