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Simmons, owner of Air Solution Co., was one of two people who helped the Butler County GOP launch the Trump-Pence Victory Center in West Chester Twp., the first campaign location outside of party headquarters where supporters could find campaign material and sign up to volunteer.
“We were out ahead of the campaign getting an operational office moving to try to support the Donald Trump,” he said. “On a personal level I put a lot of my own personal time and money in trying to get it off the ground here in West Chester.”
Simmons put his business “almost virtually on hold” during the campaign to help Trump win, he said, and now he can celebrate in Washington, D.C., as his candidate takes the oath of office. “I did this because I thought it was extremely important we’d be successful in our effort because what was at stake in my view was the future of our country,” Simmons said.
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Making the trip brings closure to the campaign for Simmons.
“Seeing it through to the end is very exciting to do it,” he said. “It’s going to be fun.”
Tickets to the inaugural were available through congressional offices, but both U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Troy, and U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, said they’ve handed out all those they had — nearly 400 between the two offices. U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, did not respond to a request for information on tickets.
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Davidson, R-Troy, who last year won election to the seat once held by John Boehner, is excited not only about the inauguration but about what will happen when Trump takes over.
“My hope is that as soon as he gets to the White House he signs an executive order undoing as much of (President Barack) Obama’s bad policies as possible,” Davidson said.
Jordan also will be at the inauguration.“I’m hoping to hear then-President Trump give a unifying vision for our country, and to discuss how he plans to use conservative principles to help improve the lives of ordinary Americans across the country,” said Jordan.
Simmons is one of nearly two dozen people going out to the inauguration and attending two of the inauguration balls (the All-American Ball and the Great American Ball). Lyons, who worked at the Trump call center in Butler County because she was “all in,” is also part of that contingent.
Lyons, wife of Butler County Area Court Judge Robert Lyons, was part of a group of Butler County Republicans that attended the ceremony for former Congressman John Boehner in 2011 when he first became the House Speaker. She also attended the inauguration of President George W. Bush.
“This is going to be a historic event,” said Lyons, who said she’s been “on board since Day 1.” “It’s been a long ride and we’re happy to see his presidency come to fruition.”
Both Simmons and Lyons believe there may be protests, but they’ll be kept out of sight of the inauguration.
“I’m sure we’ll see a lot of drama with people protesting,” said Lyons, but said “they’re just crying sour grapes.”
She, and others, have said they won’t let the negative press nor the protesters dampen their spirits.
“I think everybody likes a little party,” Lyons said, “and this is going to be a great party.”
Political experts said its hard to know what to expect to hear during the inauguration from Trump, who confounded political experts, voters and pollsters with his campaign, his tweeting, raucous rallies and controversies.
“He’s such an unconventional candidate. He’s promised to be an unconventional president. You can probably expect an unconventional inauguration,” said Mark Caleb Smith, director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville University.
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