The limited attention Congress gives to disadvantaged or marginalized groups, including Black Americans, LGBTQ, Latinx, women, and the poor, is well known and often remarked upon. This is the first full-length study to focus instead on those members who do advocate for these groups and when and why they do so. Katrina F. McNally develops the concept of an 'advocacy window' that develops as members of Congress consider incorporating disadvantaged group advocacy into their legislative portfolios. Using new data, she analyzes the impact of constituency factors, personal demographics, and institutional characteristics on the likelihood that members of the Senate or House of Representatives will decide to cultivate a reputation as a disadvantaged group advocate. By comparing legislative activism across different disadvantaged groups rather than focusing on one group in isolation, this study provides fresh insight into the tradeoffs members face as they consider taking up issues important to different groups. This title is available as open access on Cambridge Core.

'Katrina McNally's Representing the Disadvantage is theoretically strong, empirically impressive, and vitally relevant in our increasingly diverse nation. This book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of congressional representation of seniors, the poor, women, racial and ethnic minorities, veterans, and the LGBTQ community. McNally constructs a measure of legislative reputation as an advocate for these communities and uses existing theories on reputation building to explain why members of Congress would pursue advocacy on behalf of groups that have been frequently marginalized in American politics. It should be read by everyone who wants to understand 21st century congressional politics.'

Wendy Schilller - Professor of Political Science and Director of the A. Alfred Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy, Brown University

'The challenges faced by the disadvantaged are different from those of the more advantaged. To better understand these challenges and how they can be addressed, we need to know who are the disadvantaged, how they are systematically distinct from other groups in American society, and what drives disadvantaged group advocacy in Congress. Katrina McNally tackles these timely questions in Representing the Disadvantaged. This book is sure to make an important contribution to our understanding of representation and enduring challenges of achieving a more equitable democracy.'

Stella M. Rouse - Professor in the Department of Government and Politics and Director of the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, University of Maryland