He represented a “district”, not a State. “Legislating” does not give you experience in managing, delegating, and making executive decisions that have impact and consequences that make you individually responsible - and provide a track-record from which to judge your competence. Casting a “vote” is the highlight of your responsibility in the House and Senate.
“He represented a “district”, not a State.”
You seem to think that the ‘State’ is vastly different than the ‘district’.
Sure, there are a lot of differences, but population is not one of them. He represents nearly as many people as live in Alaska.