Ben Furlong came to Washington with a precious commodity. The blue ticket he carried from Arizona guaranteed him a spot in the first standing-room section to see the swearing-in ceremony. Furlong, 77, is chairman of the Yavapai County Democratic Party, and this was his first trip to the District. The white-haired Furlong took his cane and arrived at the security gate at 1st and Independence long before the ceremony. Then he waited and waited. Two-and-a-half hours after Furlong queued up, security sentries announced that their scanners were broken and they were not letting anyone else in. He ended up on the Mall around 7th Street, taking in the events via Jumbotron.

Photo courtesy of Yavapai County Democratic Party Web site (Furlong at center)

Reporting by Chris Causey, writing by Erik Wemple