The offices of shadow U.S. Representative and shadow U.S. Senator are elective offices created by the District of Columbia as part of its efforts to gain full admittance to the Union as a State. The office originated with the election of the first Shadow Senators in 1796, and the position of Shadow US Representative first appeared in 1956 in the Territory of Alaska. The name was based on the traditional practice of the Official Opposition appointing shadow cabinets in parliamentary systems.
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The voters of the District of Columbia elect two shadow 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 senators were first elected in 1990.
The shadow senators for the 110th United States Congress (2007–2009) are Paul Strauss and Michael D. Brown.[1]
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 Mike Panetta.
DC's Shadow U.S. Representative should not be confused with the non-voting delegate that represents the District in Congress.