Shadow congressperson


The posts of shadow United States Senator and shadow United States Representative are held by elected or appointed government officials from subnational polities of the United States that lack congressional vote. While these officials are not seated in either chamber of Congress, they seek for their subnational polity to gain voting rights in Congress.

History

Historically, shadow congressmen were elected by organized incorporated territories prior to their admission to the Union. From its origins in Tennessee, this approach is sometimes known as the Tennessee Plan.
The first shadow senators, William Blount and William Cocke of the Southwest Territory, were elected in March 1796, before being seated as senators representing the newly formed state of Tennessee. Michigan, California, Minnesota, Oregon, and Alaska likewise elected shadow senators before statehood. The Alaska Territory also elected the first shadow U.S. representative, Ralph Julian Rivers, in 1956. All were eventually seated in Congress as voting members, except for Alaska shadow senator William A. Egan, who instead became governor. The election of shadow congresspersons from the District of Columbia is authorized by a "state" constitution, which was ratified by D.C. voters in 1982 but was never approved by Congress.

District of Columbia officeholders

District of Columbia shadow senators

The voters of the District of Columbia elect two shadow U.S. senators who are known as U.S. senators by the District of Columbia, but who are not officially sworn or seated by the U.S. Senate. Shadow U.S. senators were first elected in 1990.
The current shadow United States senators from the District of Columbia are Paul Strauss and Mike Brown.
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District of Columbia shadow representatives

The voters of the District of Columbia elect one shadow representative who is recognized as equivalent to U.S. representatives by the District of Columbia, but is not recognized by the U.S. government as an actual member of the House of Representatives. A shadow representative was first elected in 1990. The current shadow representative is Franklin Garcia.
D.C.'s shadow U.S. representative should not be confused with the non-voting delegate who represents the District in Congress.
DelegatePartyTermCongressElectoral history
Charles MorelandDemocraticJanuary 3, 1991–
January 3, 1995		Elected 1990

John Capozzi		DemocraticJanuary 3, 1995–
January 3, 1997		Elected 1994
Sabrina SojournerDemocraticJanuary 3, 1997–
January 3, 1999		Elected 1996
Tom BryantDemocraticJanuary 3, 1999–
January 3, 2001		Elected 1998
Ray BrowneDemocraticJanuary 3, 2001–
January 3, 2007		Elected 2000

Mike Panetta		DemocraticJanuary 3, 2007–
January 3, 2013		Elected 2006
Nate Bennett-FlemmingDemocraticJanuary 3, 2013–
January 3, 2015		Elected 2012

Franklin Garcia		DemocraticJanuary 3, 2015–
January 3, 2021		Elected 2014

Puerto Rico officeholders

The posts of shadow representatives and senators for Puerto Rico were created in 2017 as part of the Puerto Rico Equality Commission after the New Progressive Party gained control of both the executive and legislative branch and the results of the 2017 Puerto Rican status referendum. Pro-statehood governor Ricardo Rosselló appointed five shadow representatives and two shadow senators with the advice and consent of the Senate of Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico shadow senators

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Puerto Rico shadow representatives