CONGRESS AND THE PEOPLE| 259lic, Protestant, or some other religion? Many people believe that such descrip-
tive representation is a distinct value in itself. Having positive role models for
various demographic groups helps create greater trust in the system, and there
are benefi ts from being represented by someone who shares something as basic as
skin color with constituents.
Descriptive representation is also related to the perceived responsiveness of a
member of Congress. In general, constituents report higher levels of satisfaction
with representatives who are of the same racial or ethnic background as the con-
stituents themselves.^2 If you doubt that descriptive representation makes a dif-
ference, ask yourself whether it would be fair if all 435 House members and 100
senators were white, male Protestants. Although the demographics of Congress
are considerably more diverse than this, the legislature does not come close to
“looking like us” on a nationwide scale (see Figures 9.1 A and B).
More important than a member’s race, gender, or religion, many people argue,
is the substance of what that person does. Substantive representation moves
beyond appearances to specify how the member serves his or her constituents’
interests. Two longstanding models are: (1) the trustee, who represents the con-
stituents’ interests from a distance, weighing numerous national, collective, local,
and moral concerns, and (2) the delegate, who carries out the direct desires of the
voters. In a sense, trustees are more concerned with being responsible, and del-
egates are more interested in being responsive.
A trustee, by defi nition, will do what she thinks is in the best long-term inter-
ests of her constituents and the nation, even though it may mean voting against her
constituents’ immediate wishes and risking defeat in the next election. A delegate,
in contrast, does not have to worry about angering voters because he simply does
what they want. Truth be told, the trustee/delegate distinction is mostly important
as a theoretical point of departure for talking about representation roles. Nearly all
members of Congress act like trustees in some circumstances and like delegates in
descriptive representation
When a member of Congress shares
the characteristics (such as gender,
race, religion, or ethnicity) of his or
her constituents.substantive representation
When a member of Congress rep-
resents constituents’ interests and
policy concerns.trustee A member of Congress
who represents constituents’ inter-
ests while also taking into account
national, collective, and moral
concerns that sometimes cause the
member to vote against the prefer-
ence of a majority of constituents.
delegate A member of Congress
who loyally represents constituents’
direct interests.MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SPEND
a good deal of time in their
districts, developing relationships
with constituents. Here,
Representative Jason Chaffetz
(R-Utah) meets constituents after
a town hall meeting.