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ISSUE

Washington, DC statehood

Published:2016-May-08
Last Updated:2017-Mar-07
Principal Writer:Barry Shatzman

Issue Sections

Understanding The Issue
Issue Status
Analysis and Perspectives
What You Can Do
More Information
The Rumor Mill

Reported News

States

Related Bills

Washington, D.C. Admission Act

2021 (HR-51)

Washington, D.C. Admission Act

2017 (HR-1291)

New Columbia Admission Act

2015 (HR-317)

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Political calculations are involved

No Republicans in the House or Senate have expressed support for the current bill. One reason could be that Washington, D.C. residents are overwhelmingly Democratic. Should Washington D.C. become a state, it likely would add a Democratic vote to the House of Representatives and two Democratic senators.

In a 2016 interview with the Washington Post, former Rep. John Kasich candidly expressed to Associate Editorial Page Editor Jo-Ann Armao a political motivation for not supporting D.C. statehood...

A:  You voted against statehood for D.C. when you were in Congress.
K:  Yes.

...
A:  What about voting rights in Congress, voting representatives?
K:  Probably not. I don't know. I'd have to, I mean, to me, that's just, I just don't see that we really need that, okay?  I don't know. I don't think so.

A:  But you realize though that people in D.C. pay taxes, go to war and they have no vote in Congress.
K:  Yeah.

A:  How is that-
K:  Well look, I am not - I don't - I am not, because you know what, what it really gets down to if you want to be honest is because they know that's just more votes in the Democratic Party. Thats what-

A:  So if there were Republicans in the District, you would have a different position?
K:  Yeah, okay, well look, they send me a bill, I'm president of the United States, I'll read your editorials.

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