The 23rd Amendment to the Constitution, passed in 1961, granted the District of Columbia the right to participate in presidential elections. Since then, the district has been a reliable blue wall for the Democratic Party, voting for every Democratic candidate since 1964. The Democratic State Committee for the District of Columbia (DC Dems) is the branch of the Democratic Party in the District of Columbia. On April 22nd, 2021, the U. S.
House of Representatives voted 216 to 208 to make Washington D. C. the 51st state. This vote was without Republican support and could potentially alter the balance of power in the Senate, which currently has 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans.
Democrats have been advocating for D. statehood for decades, and with President Joe Biden's election last November, as well as control of both the Senate and House of Representatives, they hope to finally make it a reality. The new state would be called Washington, Douglass Commonwealth after George Washington and Frederick Douglass. It would give Washington D. at least one member of the House of Representatives, as its population of around 700,000 is larger than that of Wyoming and Vermont.
About half of its residents are black. Republicans are expected to block the bill in the Senate due to their belief that Democrats are taking power to promote a far-left agenda. To pass, 60 out of 100 members must agree to promote most laws. The Democratic Party is fighting hard for D. statehood using their tools, resources and network to help achieve representation and equity for its more than 700,000 residents.
