Members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation had front row seats to an inauguration unlike any other Wednesday.

Kind of.

Some of those seats were farther from the president's podium than usual because of the pandemic and security concerns. Nevertheless, lawmakers said they felt compelled to attend, as a show of resilience in a trying time.

...Some prominent lawmakers, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Assistant Speaker of the House Katherine Clark, could be seen in the stands near President Biden. Clark said she missed the crowd and the joyful atmosphere of past ceremonies.

"I wish that this inauguration was like so many of our others, where there is an air of hope and optimism and celebration, instead of one that has been cast with the shadow of fear," she said.

Fortunately, fear remained nothing more than a shadow. The inauguration went off without incident — and without former President Trump, who defied the norms of American democracy by refusing to concede his election defeat and declining to attend his successor's swearing-in.

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Original story here.