Just hours after he was sworn in as a U.S. Senator, Richard Blumenthal boarded a plane to come back to Connecticut.
The journey will soon become very familiar to Blumenthal: He intends to travel home a lot. Neither the senator's wife, Cynthia, nor his children are moving to D.C., says his spokesman, Ty Matsdorf, and Blumenthal plans to come home almost every weekend.
"Blumenthal and his family will continue to live in CT,'' Matsdorf says via email, though he adds that the senator did rent a "small apartment" in Washington so he has somewhere to stay when the Senate is in session.
Blumenthal's commuter lifestyle has more in common with the ways of the anti-establishment Republicans serving in Congress than it does with the Washington roots set down by his predecessor, Christopher Dodd.
In the House, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a Republican, told members of his caucus that they are expected to be back in their districts for five days each month, as well as most weekends "to visit with employers, employees, seniors, veterans, and other constituent groups." Cantor unveiled a new congressional calendar in December to accommodate members who are constantly shuttling home.
Republicans and other advocates of a commuter Congress say coming home often helps members retain a strong connection to their districts and guards against an inside-the-beltway mentality.