A major new campaign is launching to focus on statehood for Washington, D.C., targeting the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. The 51 for 51 campaign will bring a seven-figure budget and, in the name, a strategy: 51 Senate votes to add the 51st state.
“Leaders who support this cause have to do more than say they’ll support it. They have to be ready to go to the mat and fix the broken Senate by approving it with 51 votes,” said campaign manager Stasha Rhodes. The push is being mounted by a coalition including DC Vote, Indivisible, and other groups.
Statehood for the District of Columbia has gained support among congressional Democrats, but Republicans will fight tooth and nail against the addition of an overwhelmingly Democratic 51st state. When this subject is being discussed, some key reminders are in order: Washington residents pay taxes without representation, and the District has more residents than either Vermont or Wyoming, each of which has a member of the House and two senators.