Just Whom Should a Representative Represent Anyway?

So, I succumbed to the hype and around the time the Georgia polls were closing last night I checked for the results of the special election for U.S. Representative for the 6^th Congressional District, the election to replace Republican Tom Price who is now in President Trump’s Cabinet. 

The initial results were reflected in ecstatic posts by Democrats and the media.  With one percent of the vote in, Democrat Jon Ossoff had over 60%.  Wow, they were going to show that Democrats had new found power, that the referendum on Trump successfully proved that the nation was overwhelmingly anti-Trump.  They elatedly proclaimed that this was a sign that times were changing and the Republicans were in decline, etc., etc.  When I checked back again later the elation seemed to have quieted; the news feeds were far less busy.   There were comments about things being very close, and discussions (if Tweets can be called discussions) about whether this would go to a runoff.  Later still, the verdict was in:  yes, it would go to a runoff. Things were then very quiet, but only briefly.  Then the headlines started telling me that this should scare the Republicans and Trump, that it is a wake-up call to them about how unpopular they and their president are, etc., etc.

Now, let’s just consider the facts of this special election to fill a seat vacated by a Republican.  To win, a candidate needed to get more than 50% of the vote, otherwise there would be a runoff.   A number of Republicans (11) threw their hats in the ring, probably hoping, but not expecting to exceed 50%, but rather to lead that pack and become the top Republican candidate in the runoff election. (The runoff does not require the two runoff candidates to be of opposing parties; rather, it simply pits the top two vote-getters against one another).   Jon Ossoff also threw his hat in the ring, and, as a progressive Democrat, he quickly became the hope of the Democrats to not just win the seat and not just take a previously Republican seat, but to show the world that Trump was in decline. 

The Democrats decided to make this election a referendum on President Trump.  They poured over eight million dollars into Mr. Ossoff’s campaign.  That money came from individuals outside of the District and most from outside of the State.  But, then, Mr. Ossoff himself does not reside in the district that he is running to represent.

So, what was this election about.  Sadly, the Democrats and the media chose to make it not about the people who will be represented by the winner of the election.  It was not about the needs of the district or the people who reside there.  Nor was it really about the candidates.  All the arguments presented seemed to be those of the Democrats against President Trump.  Did these folks forget what the job of Mr. Ossoff would be if elected?  Do they even know anything at all about the district or its people?  Do they care?

The job of a Congressperson is to represent the people of his or her district.  It is not to simply spout a general party line against the incumbent president.  Of course, if they are a member of the opposition party they will likely have more disagreement than agreement with the policies of an administration headed by the other party.  But their JOB is to represent their people, to listen to their concerns and be THEIR VOICE in Washington, not simply the voice of their party’s playbook.

Maybe this election was not a wake-up call at all.  Maybe it was just that there were several Republican candidates who split the Republican vote, while one highly funded Democrat was able to get a larger percentage of opposing votes for himself.   Maybe now that there will be a runoff, the two candidates, one Democrat, one Republican, will focus on what they can bring to the job of representing the people of Georgia’s 6^th Congressional District, instead of what they or their party thinks of President Trump.  I hope that the people demand that, and that they elect the person who is best suited to be their voice in Washington, regardless of that person’s party.  I hope they vote for the person, not one or the other party.

Maybe it is the politicians and the media who need the wake-up call – a call to remind them that elections are not just about proving some grand point that the presidential election result was some sort of mistake and the people have now changed their minds.  Maybe they need to be reminded that an election for a Congressional seat is about who can best understand and represent the people of the district being represented.  I realize that letting it be simply a local election involving local issues does not create the hype for a great story that the media is constantly seeking.  But, really, while whichever voice is chosen will have some larger consequences in Washington, the bottom line is that it is about the representation of the people located in District 6.  

As is often said, “all politics are local.”  While those local politics have national and international ramification, to turn every election into a referendum on the president is to ignore the people who make up the electorate and our democracy.  Elections are not just about winning to prove a point.  They are about governing and finding the best people for that job, regardless of party.  If we could just remember that, if we could get rid of the us vs. them, our party is good and theirs is bad mentality, if we could remember that a U.S Representative represents the people and not the party, this country would be in far better shape.