Image via Paul Strauss.

Most of the news coming from Saturday’s Nevada Democratic Party Convention involve reports of chaos and social media nastiness. But the party platform that emerged from the convention boasted historical significance—it’s the first state party platform to include support for D.C. statehood.

Image via Paul Strauss.

“For us, Saturday went really well,” says Jenna Kaufmann of Nevadans for D.C. Statehood. State party chair “Roberta Lange was so helpful to us and really wanted to advance our cause.”

But a last-minute switch by the platform committee almost diluted the support. “They wanted to change the language from statehood to legislative representation,” says Kaufmann. “So we had to go and plead our case for why statehood specifically was the term we needed to use.”

Legislative representation, Kaufmann explains, might not mean that D.C. gets two voting senators and could still involve federal oversight. (An example of federal oversight was on display yesterday, when the House Oversight Committee advanced a bill that would nullify the city’s newly enacted budget autonomy.)

“We believe all Americans deserve equal political rights and therefore support statehood for the District of Columbia,” read lines 250-251 of the platform, which is a formal set of goals and beliefs adopted by a party. However, due to the bedlam at the end of the convention, the status of adopting the platform remains unclear. The Nevada Democratic Party has not responded to requests for comment (and has had a full voicemail box for days).

The support comes as Mayor Muriel Bowser pushes get statehood on the November ballot and the New Columbia Statehood Commission plans a constitutional convention following the release of a draft. One of the commission’s working groups is dedicated to outreach to the rest of the country.

Kaufmann used to live in D.C., and initially got involved in the campaign for statehood by working with Shadow Senator Paul Strauss. He was at the convention, speaking on behalf of D.C. statehood. He has been at caucuses in Iowa as well, working to get statehood in their state platform as well.

“The ultimate outcome is that the issue was raised and supported, so it’s certainly a successful trip,” says Strauss. “Obviously, when law enforcement has to clear a room, it gets a little overshadowed.”

Paul Catha, the treasurer and vice president-elect of the Young Dems of Nevada, says he saw Nevadans for D.C. Statehood at the caucus and county conventions. “I’ve never seen a reason why the citizens of D.C. shouldn’t have the same rights as anyone else,” he says.

(Ohio Governor John Kasich said that he opposed D.C. statehood because “that’s just more votes in the Democratic Party.”)

Last week, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton pledged to be “a vocal champion for D.C. statehood.” Her primary opponent, Bernie Sanders, responded by showing off his own bona fides on the issue.

“When you have the two leading candidates trying to outdo each other on who’s stronger on statehood, that’s what you want,” says Strauss.

Nevadans for D.C. Statehood aren’t resting just yet. “We’re going to court delegates in the Nevada delegation to see if we could get [statehood] on the national platform,” says Kaufmann.

Updated with clarification on the status of the platform.

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