By a vote of , the Democratic-controlled House approved the initiative with no Republican support. The population of Washington, D. As a state, it likely would elect two Democratic senators, potentially altering the balance of power in the Senate, which now has 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans.
Democrats, who have been advocating statehood for the capital of the United States for decades, hope to take advantage of last November's election of President Joe Biden as well as control of the Senate and House to admit a new state for the first time since , the year Alaska and Hawaii joined the union.
Democrats argued statehood would fix a centuries-old wrong of "more than , Americans citizens who pay federal taxes, who fight and die in wars, who serve on our juries and yet have no vote in the Senate or the House of Representatives," said Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky. Republicans, accusing Democrats of a "power grab" to advance a "far-left" agenda, are expected to block the bill in the Senate, where 60 of members need to agree to advance most legislation.
In , the Kansas-Nebraska Act was a final attempt to maintain sectional balance by organizing two new territories split between the North and South. Southern secession meant, among other things, that the region was no longer represented in Congress. The party of Lincoln took full advantage, admitting Nevada as a state in and approving new territories in the North: Idaho, Montana, and the Dakotas.
In and , Republicans solidified their power, admitting as states Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming, while splitting the Dakota Territory into two states. The remainder of the continental US was admitted as states by the early 20th century — except DC. And admitting the 49th and 50th states required making a new deal to keep both parties on board.
When Trump floated the idea of buying Greenland this summer, part of his motivation was to secure a legacy akin to the one Dwight D. Eisenhower cemented with his admission of Alaska as a state, according to the Wall Street Journal. The problem with that idea — okay, one of the problems with that idea — is that Eisenhower never wanted to admit Alaska.
The Democratic Party started promoting the idea of statehood for Alaska and Hawaii as early as Southern Democrats disapproved of the nonwhite population of the islands, worrying that Hawaii would send senators of Asian descent who would represent two more votes against filibuster rules that helped them kill civil rights legislation.
Hugh Butler said at the time. Given overwhelming public support for admission, Eisenhower decided in the end that a promise was a promise. Lyndon B.
Johnson, then the Senate Democratic leader, dropped his opposition to admitting Hawaii as part of his broader switch in favor of civil rights legislation. Leaders in both parties came to believe it was a fair deal all around, largely because Alaska at that time was Democratic and Hawaii was Republican. In recent decades, statehood has largely been a backburner issue. Most of the current territories are too small in population to generate serious consideration.
BlackLivesMatter pic. Puerto Rico has held several referendums on statehood, with public opinion split. Still, there are concerns that statehood would increase the tax bill for residents and corporations and make it harder to maintain Spanish as the dominant language.
In , 97 percent of those participating in a Puerto Rico referendum favored statehood. Turnout was less than 25 percent, however, with the pro-territorial status quo Popular Democratic Party boycotting the vote. In DC, opinion about statehood is less mixed. A statehood referendum in drew support from 78 percent of voters. If the question of DC or Puerto Rican statehood were ever resolved politically in Congress, it would be a straightforward matter to admit them both, says Biber, the Berkeley law professor.
Alan Greenblatt is a writer covering politics and policy issues. In September , they took their call for statehood to Congress. Looking for a quick way to keep up with the never-ending news cycle? Host Sean Rameswaram will guide you through the most important stories at the end of each day. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Ove r cast , or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Please consider making a contribution to Vox today to help us keep our work free for all. The states in this region include:. Region 2 is the Midwest. Hover over Click on a tile for details. West Virginia Region 4 — the final region — is the West. How Many States are in the United States. Show Source. State Region Pop.
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