The highest profile Democrats in Connecticut will all attend the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Gov. Dannel Malloy had made his intention public last week. He is being invited since he is a sitting governor.
Both U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday they would attend.
Murphy said he wants to be in the audience to send a quiet message of sorts to the Republican.
“I want him to be surrounded by people who are going to fight him tooth and nail as he pursues these damaging and divisive policies that he has previewed during his campaign," Murphy said.
He even said the year ahead will be, "the most important in my career in public office," referring to the upcoming legislative battles over the Affordable Care Act, taxes and Trump's signature campaign promise to build a wall along the American border with Mexico.
Blumenthal echoed those sentiments, and added that the recent attacks by Trump of Rep. John Lewis, a Democrat from Georgia whom was beaten in Selma during civil rights protests, crossed a line for him.
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“This is going to be a tough time and I respect the people who will not be at the inaugural.”
Malloy shares that view, and poked fun at Trump's twitter habits when asked about what he hoped to hear in his first address as president.
“I hope we hear better things than we read from his phone messages, his tweets. I’ve said this once, I’ll say it again, ‘For God’s sakes somebody take his phone away.’”
One of the most vocal Trump supporters in Connecticut, Joe Visconti, curried enough favor with the campaign and the transition that he was granted tickets to the inauguration, and one of the official balls.
Visconti says he feels like it's a reward for helping in a state where no one gave him a chance, and said Connecticut will benefit from the GOP victories.
“Everybody knows that he will have to work within the structure of government and he will, but it’s just that the political correctness era will be over.”
