Washington, D.C. asks Harris to support the District's quest for statehood during the DNC

NPR | By Alana Wise

Published August 20, 2024 at 9:34 PM EDT

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser earlier in the evening, before the roll call.

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D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser took her moment during the ceremonial roll call to call for something close to the heart of many of the city’s residents — a push for D.C. statehood.

“We are Washington, D.C., home to 700,000 Americans, where millions have marched for jobs and justice,” Bowser said.

“We know Kamala Harris will fight for our freedom, and we will work together to make Washington, D.C., the 51st state,” Bowser announced to a cheering crowd before casting the District’s 51 votes for Harris.

While D.C. residents are American citizens, Washingtonians do not enjoy the full rights of states. Residents of D.C. do not have voting members in the House of Representatives and do not have representation in the Senate.

D.C. has home rule, which allows the city to have a locally elected government that can draft its own laws — but those laws can be overturned by Congress.

A November 2016 referendum found that 86% of D.C. residents support statehood, but the idea has not found adequate support in Congress.