Which Democratic lawmakers are skipping Donald Trump's inauguration?
With Inauguration Day just three days away, a growing number of Democratic lawmakers are saying they’re planning to sit the ceremony out.
Though there are always a handful of the 535 lawmakers in Congress who don’t make it to the ceremony on Jan. 20, this year there’s a bigger group than usual. So far, a total of 62 congressional Democrats have announced they will not be attending the inauguration -- as a protest against the president-elect or in support of Lewis.
The list of Democrats announcing they wouldn’t be attending grew when civil rights icon and Georgia congressman John Lewis announced he would be skipping the ceremony -- telling NBC News that he does not believe Mr. Trump will be a “legitimate president,” a comment that sparked a war of words between Lewis and Mr. Trump himself. Many of those who’ve since announced they’re not attending have done so in professed support for Lewis.
Here’s a rundown of who won’t be in town on Friday:
Democratic lawmakers skipping the inauguration specifically to protest Mr. Trump or to support Lewis:
Terri Sewell (D-Alabama)
Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona)
Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona)
Karen Bass (D-California)
Tony Cardenas (D-California)
Judy Chu (D-California)
Mark DeSaulnier (D-California)
Jared Huffman (D-California)
Barbara Lee (D-California)
Ted Lieu (D-California)
Zoe Lofgren (D-California)
Alan Lowenthal (D-California)
Jerry McNerney (D-California)
Grace Napolitano (D-California)
Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-California)
Raul Ruiz (D-California)
Mark Takano (D-California)
Juan Vargas (D-California)
Maxine Waters (D-California)
Alcee Hastings (D-Florida)
Darren Soto (D-Florida)
John Lewis (D-Georgia)
Luis Gutierrez (D-Illinois)
Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois)
John Yarmouth (D-Kentucky)
Chellie Pingree (D-Maine)
Anthony Brown (D-Maryland)
Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland)
Michael Capuano (D-Massachusetts)
Katherine Clark (D-Massachusetts)
John Conyers (D-Michigan)
Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota)
Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi)
Alma Adams (D-N.C.)
G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.)
Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.)
Donald Payne Jr. (D-N.J.)
Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.)
Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.)
Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.)
Grace Meng (D-N.Y.)
Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.)
José Serrano (D-N.Y.)
Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.)
Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.)
Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio)
Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon)
Kurt Schrader (D-Oregon)
Brendan Boyle (D-Pennsylvania)
Robert Brady (D-Pennsylvania)
Mike Doyle (D-Pennsylvania)
Dwight Evans (D-Pennsylvania)
Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee)
Joaquin Castro (D-Texas)
Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas)
Al Green (D-Texas)
Filemon Vila (D-Texas)
Don Beyer (D-Virginia)
Gerry Connolly (D-Virginia)
Donald McEachin (D-Virginia)
Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington)
Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin)
Others who aren’t attending the inauguration -- but not explicitly because of Mr. Trump
A handful of Democratic politicians are opting out of Inauguration Day in D.C. -- but aren’t specifically saying they’re doing so as a form of protest against Mr. Trump. Here are those five members and their reasons for skipping town:
Frederica Wilson (D-Florida): Wilson never planned to attend the inauguration because her goddaughter is getting married Saturday.
Lacy Clay (D-Missouri): Clay’s office says he is choosing to “stay home and spend time with young constituents. He is not boycotting the event, just making a different choice.”
Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon): DeFazio isn’t planning to attend, but this is nothing new for him: he typically avoids the inauguration. He told Oregon Public Broadcasting that he doesn’t like to attend the “pomp and circumstance events in Washington.”
Adam Smith (D-Washington): Rebecca Bryant, a spokeswoman for Smith, said he will spend inauguration week “at home in Washington state meeting with his constituents” since the House isn’t in session.
Dan Lipinski (D-Illinois): His office said he is not specifically boycotting the inauguration, but “will be attending to office and family-related matters this week.”
Mike Quigley (D-Illinois): Quigley’s office says he “fully supports the peaceful transfer of power,” but is planning to spend the week in his district since the House is not in session. He is ready to work with Mr. Trump “on bipartisan issues in which they can find common ground,” his office said, but also will “continue to hold the President-elect accountable.”
Bobby Rush (D-Illinois): Rush is not attending because his wife is in the hospital.