Bowser renews call for vote on DC statehood under Biden

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) renewed the call for a vote on D.C. statehood under President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday as Democrats approach achieving Senate majority. 

Bowser tweeted out a statement requesting that legislation establishing D.C. statehood be on Biden’s desk within the first 100 days of the 117th Congress. 

“Washingtonians have waited over 200 years for the representation we deserve as American citizens,” the mayor said in her statement. 

“With our seats at the table, we can help build back better than ever before,” she wrote. “Just like the millions of Americans who voted nationwide and the thousands who organized and voted in Georgia, we are ready to build a more perfect union – one in which all voices are heard, one in which we work together to uplift families in cities, and suburbs, and small towns, and one in which the 712,000 residents of Washington, DC have full access to our nation’s democracy.”

Statement on the path forward for making DC the 51st state in the 117th Congress.#DCStatehood pic.twitter.com/YoAhu8O7AU

— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) January 6, 2021

The D.C. mayor also retweeted Biden’s comments on D.C. statehood from June, “DC should be a state. Pass it on.”

DC should be a state. Pass it on. https://t.co/xUJ1sud76f

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 25, 2020

Bowser’s call for Congress to move forward with statehood for the District comes as Rev. Raphael Warnock was projected to win Georgia’s Senate seat after Tuesday’s runoff election.

The other race between Republican David Perdue and Jon Ossoff has not been called yet but will determine which party holds the majority in the U.S. Senate. If Perdue wins, the GOP will retain control, but if Ossoff wins, the Senate will be split 50-50, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris becoming the tie-breaking vote. 

Once Biden is inaugurated, Democrats will control the White House and the House and could potentially hold the majority in the Senate, giving D.C. statehood supporters hope to make the District the 51st state.

Last year, the Democratic-led House became the first congressional chamber to approve legislation for D.C. statehood in a highly partisan vote.