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Just as D.C. heats up its quest to become the 51st state of the union, Democratic candidate for president Hillary Clinton has pledged her allegiance to the movement.
In an opinion piece in the Washington Informer, Clinton promises that, “as president, I will be a vocal champion for D.C. statehood.”
While laying out her ideas to improve voting rights (universal, automatic voter registration; expansion of early and absentee voting; restoration of the full Voting Rights Act), she zeroes in on D.C., where there is “an entire populace that is routinely denied a voice in its own democracy.”
Lacking representatives with voting power, the District of Columbia is often neglected when it comes to federal appropriations. Many of the District’s decisions are also at the mercy of right-wing ideologues in Congress, and as you can imagine, they don’t show very much of it. Everything from commonsense gun laws to providing women’s health care and efforts to cut down on drug abuse has been halted by Republicans, who claim the District is an exception to their long-held notion that communities ought to be able to govern themselves.
Solidarity is no longer enough. We need a solution.
This comes about a month before residents will vote for a Democratic nominee in the June 14 primary. Clinton knocks presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump’s lack of a stance on the issue, too.
Just recently he said that while he hadn’t fully decided on a position yet, “statehood is a tough thing” for Washington, D.C.
Well, I think what’s been tough for the District is having virtually no say in its own affairs for decades. And by fighting to bring about the creation of a 51st state, I believe we can break down a barrier that’s stood in the way of progress for far too long and give more Americans a say in America.
D.C. residents have already shown her some love—as of March, Clinton received 10 times more District donor dollars than anyone else in the race, Republican or Democrat.
One former Republican candidate, Ohio Governor John Kasich, gave his honest opinion for opposing D.C. statehood—”that’s just more votes in the Democratic Party.”
Rachel Kurzius