After the November 5th election, I received thousands of requests from constituents for tickets to the 2009 presidential inauguration ceremony in January. I was inspired that so many of my fellow Americans wanted to participate in this historic event.  Unfortunately the demand far exceeded the limited supply of reserved tickets I was given by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.  I conducted a random lottery to ensure that everyone who requested tickets had a fair chance.  All told, I gave a total of 100 tickets to 50 residents of the 14th Congressional District.

I was truly amazed by the unprecedented turnout.  Nearly 2 million people braved the cold and the crowds to celebrate a new era of leadership and a new chapter in American history. People poured into Washington, D.C. from across the United States to stand on the National Mall where they were able to watch the festivities on giant video screens.  It was an honor to participate in such a landmark moment in American history.