After the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais ruling gave Republicans permission to redraw district lines, Florida redistributed Black voters out of the original 20th District and put 22-year incumbent Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a white woman who represented the nearby 23rd District, into a mostly Republican district. The Constitution only requires members of Congress to live in the state (not the district) they will represent, so Wasserman Schultz chose to run in Florida’s 20th District against multiple Black candidates.
Political scientist David Mayhew noted decades ago that members of Congress are almost single-mindedly focused on winning re-election, so it is not surprising that Wasserman Schultz would choose to run in a district more favorable for her politically than the redrawn district where she lives.
However, some Black leaders in the district are decrying Wasserman Schultz’s decision and have argued she should not run in a congressional district that has been represented by a Black member for more than 30 years. While I am sympathetic to those concerns about descriptive representation — that is, a representative sharing the same background as a majority or plurality of voters — there are other factors to consider.
This is a preview of a column by Andra Gillespie. Read the full column here. |
