Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is the latest co-sponsor of a bill granting statehood to the District of Columbia — a key pickup that may signal growing support on Capitol Hill for the cause.
The New Hampshire lawmaker is the 45th Senate co-sponsor of fellow Democratic Sen. Thomas Carper’s legislation, a record in the chamber, The Hill reported Thursday.
Carper’s bill is sponsored by every Democratic senator except Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) — who doesn’t support it — and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with Democrats, is another holdout.
No Republicans support Carper’s legislation as of yet. The bill would require 60 votes in the Senate to pass, meaning all Democrats plus 10 Republicans would need to be on board.
Stasha Rhodes, campaign manager for 51 for 51, a District-based campaign to persuade the Senate to gut the filibuster and allow a vote on D.C. statehood, praised Shaheen’s co-sponsorship.
“We thank Senator Shaheen for standing up for democracy and the 700,000 mostly Black and brown Washingtonians who pay taxes and serve in the military without a vote in Congress,” Rhodes said. “With the voting rights of Black and Brown people under attack across the country, it’s more crucial than ever that we have champions like Senator Shaheen to stand up for D.C. statehood, an urgent civil rights issue. Today, our confidence continues to grow — 2021 is the year we will add a 51st star to our flag.”