Blunt Rochester, Arlett workin’ it in D.C.

With less than 24 hours to go before President Donald Trump was sworn into office, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester and Sussex County Councilman Rob Arlett were busy preparing for the next day's ceremonies.

Blunt Rochester, a Democrat, is the first woman and the first African-American to ever represent Delaware in Congress in Washington, D.C.

"It's been two weeks and two days," she said with a smile made famous on her campaign trail, her office still bare because she said she hasn't started decorating yet. "Things are going great."

Blunt Rochester, who soundly defeated Republican challenger Hans Reigle with 55 percent of the vote in the Nov. 9 election, said her accomplishment really hit home the moment she was standing on the House floor to be sworn in.

"At that moment, it clicked," she said.

Blunt Rochester said she knows Reigle garnered more votes in Kent and Sussex counties – 91,945 to 74,751 according to the Department of Elections – but she's still looking forward to representing the whole state in Washington, D.C. She said her appointments to the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Education and Workforce means she will have the ability to benefit all Delawareans.

As the clock ticked down to Trump's inauguration, Blunt Rochester, who gave a few dozen of her inauguration tickets to Delaware's GOP party as a show of good faith, said she was proud to be associated with a country where a peaceful transition of power was taking place.

"I've lived in other countries where the baton was not passed peacefully," she said.

Speaking of the transition, Arlett, a Republican, was working diligently as the municipal government national liaison for the Presidential Inauguration Committee up until the last minute.

"There's been so much done, in so little time," he said from the lobby of the Fairmont Washington, D.C., a hotel a few miles from Capitol Hill that had been set up as the customer service point for ticket holders. "It's been an honor and a true pleasure to serve."

Arlett was appointed Dec. 6, and he said he was busy taking ticket, lodging and transportation requests. It's attempting to keep people on track who might be logistically challenged, he said, with a smile.

"It's just part of the job as liaison," he said.

Arlett complimented all of the people he worked with to prepare for the transition. He said from the parade, private events, the welcome center, national prayer service and other logistics, it's been a wild ride.

"It's been an amazing journey," he said.