PROVIDENCE –– It is the hottest ticket in town.

It doesn’t matter that the event is a little less than two months and 400 miles away. Thousands of Rhode Islanders are desperately seeking admission to the Jan. 20 ceremony in which Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.

A total of 250,000 tickets will be distributed for the inauguration. But most Rhode Islanders will fight for tickets from a pool of fewer than 1,200 controlled by its four members of Congress.

The congressional offices have been swarmed by requests for the tickets, needed for admission to a secure observation area for the ceremony outside the U.S. Capitol.

“We’ve never dealt with anything of this magnitude,” said Kerrie Bennett, spokeswoman for Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who, like Rep. James R. Langevin, has just 198 tickets to distribute. Rhode Island’s two senators were allotted about 400 tickets each.

Obama volunteers, key fundraisers, top Democratic leaders are all tapping their best political connections.

“People who I haven’t talked to in years have called me and asked what I can do. Honestly, I don’t have an inside track on how to get tickets,” said state Rep. Ray Sullivan, of Coventry, who led Obama’s Rhode Island campaign and is the only state official contacted yesterday who confirmed he would attend the inauguration.

Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, an early Obama supporter, “is most likely going, but does not have tickets yet,” said spokesman Michael J. Healey. State General Treasurer Frank T. Caprio said the same.

Each congressional office has a different plan for giving away the tickets, which are free.

Sen. Jack Reed will have a raffle. Langevin will distribute them on a first-come, first-served basis. Kennedy and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse are taking names, but still deciding how to proceed.

“I put in my requests with the senators and congressmen,” said Jeff Padwa, co-chairman of Obama’s Rhode Island finance team. “I’m hoping I’m going to get tickets and it would be wonderful to give some out … At this point, nobody really has anything,”

There’s only one ticket guarantee Padwa is aware of.

At a recent meeting of the finance team, he learned that those who donate $50,000 to Obama’s transition or inauguration effort would receive “a package, including a ticket.” Corporations, lobbyists and political action committees will be blocked from donating, according to Obama’s newly formed inaugural committee, which yesterday set the personal donation limit at $50,000.

If that sounds too steep, don’t expect to find an affordable option from ticket brokers.

CNN reported earlier in the month that one broker sought more than $20,000 for a ticket. And congressional leaders recently pressured eBay to ban the sale of tickets after several had been posted for $7,500 apiece.

The majority of tickets will not be distributed until the week before the swearing-in, according to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, which offers a stern warning to those interested in tickets.

“Any Web site or ticket broker claiming that they have inaugural tickets is simply not telling the truth,” Howard Gantman, staff director for the committee, said in a statement. “We urge the public to view any offers of tickets for sale with great skepticism.”

But there is hope for people who can’t secure a ticket.

“The good news is, even if people don’t have a ticket, they can still attend. They just have to be prepared to brave the elements and the massive crowds,” said Senator Reed’s spokesman, Chip Unruh, who said officials expect to host more than 1 million people. “This will be a citywide celebration. We expect the event organizers will try to have a record number of Jumbotrons throughout the area so everyone who wants to come can participate in this historic day. There are also free parades and events leading up to the swearing-in ceremony.”

But travel and lodging could be a major problem, according to Helen Hunsu, of Archway Bus, a West Warwick transportation company that is already booked solid for inauguration week.

“We’re sold out,” she said. “It’s going to be a nightmare; there’s no buses available, no rooms; there’s nothing.”

Indeed, Padwa was part of a group that booked 50 Washington hotel rooms back in July; even then, there was a six-night minimum at $250 a night.

“Now we need to figure out dining,” he said. “If as many people go down as they say, you have to have dining reservations before you go down there.”

With Washington lodging already at capacity, hotels in Philadelphia — more than a 2½-hour drive away — are now advertising rooms for the inauguration goers, according to David Eaton, general manager of Cumberland-based Conway tours, which still offers transportation for the week.

“We have buses, but our bigger concern is what it’s going to be like once we get there,” Eaton said, noting that he expects widespread street closures.

Sullivan had some basic advice for people, like him, who want to be part of history on Jan. 20.

“Make sure you understand what you’re getting into. You’re going to be standing around for hours. It’s going to be cold,” he said. “For me, it’s important to be there.”

speoples@projo.com