Final answer:
The claim that the number of national political offices held by African Americans is commensurate with their population percentage is false. Despite significant political gains, such as the election of Barack Obama, African Americans continue to be underrepresented in Congress relative to their population.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the number of national political offices held by African Americans is roughly commensurate to their percentage of the general population is false. Although the historic election of President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 was a significant milestone, African Americans remained underrepresented in political offices at that time. For example, if African Americans were represented proportionally, there should have been 12 senators and 52 members of the House according to their population.
However, in 2009, there was only one black senator and 39 members of the House, and in 2010 the number in the House increased slightly to 41, but this was still well below proportional representation.
Additionally, the re-election rates of African American incumbents in Congress were highly favorable, with an average margin of victory of 78 percent, suggesting that once elected, African American incumbents were quite successful in securing re-election.