In the run-up to the midterms, several Republicans warned that a midterm blue wave would result in statehood for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Robert White, the new delegate for D.C., wants to make it happen for his district at least. Delegate-elect White is reportedly making statehood for Washington, D.C. his top priority.
Rep. White holds fast to the idea that democracy and justice require equal representation for the residents of D.C. At the same time, he is taking a pragmatic point of view. In a move that will sound familiar to those who follow Puerto Rico’s struggle for a permanent political status, legislators have been telling him that they have to focus on kitchen table issues for their constituents first.
The new Congress has a lot of high-priority concerns, and the Delegate elect does not even have a vote to trade as the politics get underway. How can the admissions of new states get to the top of the list?
White’s argument: “The agenda gets done if you have the votes — and D.C. statehood gives you more votes.” Washington, D.C. consistently votes for Democrats. As Democrats look forward to life in the majority, they will be working to deliver on their affordability campaign promises. The more votes they have, the faster they will be able to advance their affordability agenda.
“When they see D.C. statehood as their ticket to securing reproductive rights, their ticket to being able to afford health care, then they start to see D.C statehood in a different light — and that is the light that I want to make sure I’m putting on this issue now,” says White.
White won’t be the only freshman member next Congress who can’t cast a vote on the House floor — Alicia Limtiaco is another newcomer from a non-voting district. Limtiaco prevailed over Republican incumbent Del. James Moylan from the U.S. territory of Guam.
