In the aftermath of the worst shooting tragedy in U.S. history and deadliest Jihadist terrorist attack since 9/11, ambitious Democratic politicians have rushed to capitalize on the opportunity to increase their profile and visibility.

When House Speaker Paul Ryan called for a moment of silence on Monday to honor the Orlando shooting victims, boos rang out in the hallowed chamber and at least three members of Congress brazenly walked off the floor in protest. Among them was ringleader Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, an ambitious four-term Democrat from the fourth district of Connecticut, one of the richest in the nation.

Not to be outdone by Himes, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy kicked off what he promised would be a Ted Cruz-style speak-a-thon filibuster on Wednesday morning.

After staging his walkout Monday, Himes went on a full-scale media frenzy to push for stricter gun control legislation and increase his national profile.

“It was an ill-opportune time for [Himes] to make his political position known,” Connecticut Republican Party Chairman J.R. Romano told LifeZette. “It is unfortunate that he made it about himself and not the victims … [The moment of silence] was about the victims and their families, not about him.”

These sentiments were shared by Himes’ Republican challenger, Connecticut State Rep. John Shaban.

“Himes’ histrionics are not only inappropriate, his current refusal to pause for a moment of silence stands in stark contrast to his eight years of silence on the broader issue,” Shaban said in a statement Wednesday.

“Indeed, the primary source of gun violence in our state and in our nation’s cities is the illegal shipment of firearms (mostly handguns) across state lines. This is, first and foremost, a federal job and always has been. Yet our federal representatives have done little to address the problem, save perhaps for pithy policy statements and the occasional photo op.”

The sentiment of disgust was shared by House Speaker Paul Ryan himself, who in a taped segment Wednesday for “The O’Reilly Factor” on Fox News Channel said “I think they were trying to bring attention to themselves to talk about gun control. I don’t think after the worst terrorist attack since 9/11, the greatest mass shooting inspired, we know at least it was inspired by ISIS, I don’t think the answer is to walk out.”

“I think they brought attention to themselves and I don’t think that was appropriate,” Ryan continued.

The spin around the media circuit for Himes, rumored to be angling for a stay in his state’s gubernatorial mansion in 2018, included appearances on liberal fixtures including MSNBC, NPR, a speech on the House floor, and an op-ed published Tuesday in The Denver Post, entitled, “Why I Walked Out of the House’s Moment of Silence for Orlando.”

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“All I know is that the regular moments of silence on the House floor do not honor the victims of violence. They are an affront,” Himes wrote in his op-ed. “In the chamber where change is made, they are a tepid, self-satisfying emblem of impotence and willful negligence. It is action that will stop next week’s mass shooting. I will not be silent.”

Not to be outdone by Himes, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy kicked off what he promised would be a Ted Cruz-style speak-a-thon filibuster on Wednesday morning. Murphy, who in the past has boosted his own profile by trolling Republicans over tragedy on Twitter, claimed he would not cease speaking until the Senate addressed gun violence.

Murphy stirred furious controversy in December when he took to Twitter to lampoon Republicans for offering prayers for the victims of the San Bernardino terror attack.

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“I’m speaking on the Senate floor to honor the victims of the Orlando attack & demand the Senate address gun violence. #Enough,” Murphy tweeted. “I am prepared to stand on the Senate floor and talk about the need to prevent gun violence for as long as I can. I’ve had #Enough.”

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Murphy is the subject of rumors of ambition himself — the Connecticut senator is sometimes mentioned as a wild card potential running mate for Hillary Clinton, who tweeted her support of Murphy’s speak-a-thon Wednesday. “Some fights are too important to stay silent. Preventing gun violence is one of them. Stand strong @ChrisMurphyCT.”

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Romano suggested that Himes and Murphy consider broadening the political conversation to consider the “big picture” behind these tragic attacks, such as why the FBI dropped its previous investigations into Orlando shooter Omar Mateen, and the havoc that hate-fueled radical Islamic terrorism wreaks upon the world.

“Firearm control isn’t the be-all, end-all,” Romano said. “I wish our politicians would focus on having an adult conversation.”

Himes’ rebellion highlights the partisan divide that has been the hallmark of reaction to the tragedy in Orlando.

Whereas many Republicans are focusing on calling out the threat that radical Islamic terrorists pose to U.S. national security and proposing commonsense measures to restrict the flow of refugees from terror hot spots, many Democrats have used this latest national tragedy to push their own political agenda of gun control. Some, like Himes and Murphy, have taken it beyond gun control — to make it about themselves.