AMHERST, N.Y. -- Optimism is running high in the town of Amherst.
Town GOP Chair Bob Davis noted you could barely move in Dandelions Restaurant at 11 a.m. Monday as Donald Trump supporters packed in the establishment.
Davis helped organize the inauguration watch party.
"You've seen his popularity go up to record levels and I think that momentum is happening all across the country and you can see from today's turnout, it's happening right here in Erie County and here specifically in Amherst, New York," Davis said.
As GOP leaders are hoping to capitalize at the local level on a national red shift, the rank and file said they have even more confidence after listening to the president's inaugural speech.
"He was formidable," supporter Kelley Panaro said. "He was positive but he wasn't going to mess around. This man, he's got an agenda and he's going to get it done and we're all here behind him and I think he's got the mandate of the country and he's going to get it done."
Erie County Democratic Committee Chair Jeremy Zellner said he understands the excitement because Trump has promised a lot but believes he has offered little in concrete plans to fulfill them.
"Folks want to be safe. All of us want folks to be safe. Folks want to be able to afford living in this country and get the resources they need from their government. That's what we should be focused on right now, not, as I said, these farcical things that are trying to distract people: the Panama Canal, Greenland, annexing Canada," he said.
At Dandelions, at least, people believe Trump will usher in a new era for the country and right the wrongs they say the Biden administration committed.
"Today is the reality. Today is the day it all starts. Today is the day it becomes true," Panaro said.
Her husband Dave agreed and said he can't wait to see what the next four years brings.
"Donald Trump, God bless you," he said. "God bless America and keep us safe and prosperous."