ABSTRACT
Most scholars examining black electoral success begin with a discussionof representation theory. According to political scientist Hanna Pitkin, representation can be divided into four categories: formal, descriptive, symbolic, and substantive.2 The concept of representation lies at the core of democracy. Formal representation is based on the consent of the governed. Descriptive representation describes the extent to which legislators accurately reflect the characteristics of their district or state. An examination of characteristics of members of Congress by age, race, gender, education, and occupation shows that their characteristics are by no means parallel to that of the general population. Therefore, the representative must focus on symbolic representation.
