It will also show how far out of touch the black governmental class is with its black constituency.

Mr. Jackson wants to fire up his black constituency while continuing his effort to reach out to the rest of the party, his actions show.

Many white politicians and journalists have come away with the impression that the conservative de la Harpes hold great sway over this vast black constituency.

His detractors see him as an embarrassment, a man who invokes racism at nearly every turn, yet delivers little for his predominantly black constituency.

If they are not careful how they reject Jackson, they will alienate his sizeable black constituency.

"People with money have always been able to choose schools for their children," said Ms. Williams, who represents a largely black constituency in Milwaukee.

His largely black constituency elected him for a ninth term in November, and many voters said he had been unfairly singled out.

Farred saw this large-scale voter registration as an attempt by privileged whites to gain electoral power in a largely black constituency.

That the party has different constituencies - urban and suburban, black and white, poor and middle class - is a given, he said.

Descriptive representation is centered on the symbolism of skin: a black face for a black constituency.