National Representation & Local Representation [View all]

[Proud Liberal Dem]

While I get the notion that Senators and House Members are elected to represent their states/districts in Congress and that they have to represent and be primarily responsive to those states/districts, I find it frustrating that, given that some Representatives and, especially, some Senators have an outsized influence on certain issues and matters of national importance, that people not in their state/district cannot lobby them one way or another. The most prescient current example would probably be Collins & Murkowski (re: Kavanaugh). The vote is likely to come down to one or both of them, but those of us living outside of Maine or Alaska will be unable to directly lobby either one of them to vote against Kavanaugh.