Early Statehood Advocacy in Congress

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Shadow Senator Jesse Jackson, and Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly at a statehood rally in 1992

As the inevitable death of the D.C. VRA became more and more obvious, support for statehood increased. Local leaders of the Self-Determination for DC Coalition became 51st state advocates, but their national affiliates refused to support statehood. The DC Council provided a new state constitution, free of the controversial elements. Delegate Walter Fauntroy introduced the New Columbia Admission Act in the House, and, with the help of local advocates, worked to build support. Interest in the legislation led to six hearings, and by the end of 1987, DC statehood legislation had 101 House cosponsors. Companion legislation, introduced by Senator Edward Kennedy in the Senate, did not lead to hearings, nor did it have as many cosponsors as the House bill. But in 1990, the prospect of Jesse Jackson’s involvement in DC statehood raised expectations of increasing Senate support.

When DC voters approved the 1982 referendum on their state constitution, they also approved “shadow” members of Congress for DC, but the DC Council repeatedly put off legislation providing for their election. Shadow members had represented Alaska and several other territories as they were preparing to enter the union. The shadow senators from these territories were seated in Congress as voting members when their territories became states. Being DC’s shadow senator offered Jackson the opportunity to continue his advocacy for DC statehood while enhancing his political stature. He bought a house in Le Droit Park and made DC his second home. In February of 1990, Jackson held a well-publicized press conference where he chastised the DC Council for failing to provide for the election of the shadow delegation to Congress approved by DC voters. A few weeks later, the Council passed legislation setting the election of two shadow senators and one shadow representative for November. Jesse Jackson and Florence Pendleton were elected as DC’s first Shadow Senators, and Charles Moreland, the first Shadow Representative. They have been succeeded by two additional shadow senators and seven shadow representatives.¹

The 1990 election brought optimism to the statehood movement. Not only would Jesse Jackson be pressing the case in the Senate and across the country. The city’s new mayor, Sharon Pratt Dixon (whose last name would be changed to Kelly), was an unequivocal statehood supporter, and Eleanor Holmes Norton, the new Delegate to Congress, was expected to advance statehood in the House.

The early nineties included a variety of statehood activities—lobbying, rallies, protests, and votes in Congress. In 1991, the House District Subcommittee on the Judiciary held a two-day hearing that featured the testimony of Jesse Jackson, Sharon Pratt Dixon, and DC Councilmember John Wilson. Presidential candidate Bill Clinton was scheduled to testify.

One of the most impressive rallies, in 1992, featured 2,000 statehood supporters almost surrounding the Capitol. The group included DC officials, statehood activists, singer Lou Rawls, and representatives of unions and other organizations supporting statehood. That same year the Democratic Party’s platform, as it had in 1988, included DC statehood. In 1993, there were Tax and Emancipation Day protests. Later that year, Mayor Kelly, along with Jesse Jackson and comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory, was arrested during a tea party protest.²

Knowing that it was not likely to pass, Delegate Norton and statehood advocates anticipated the possibility of an historic 1993 House vote on statehood with ambivalence. House committees and subcommittees had held at least seven hearings on the New Columbia Admission Act, and many statehood advocates had tired of waiting for a floor vote. Norton decided that “an unprecedented floor vote would give the undemocratic treatment of the District of Columbia the serious national attention it could never have in any other way.” The vote on November 21 failed 153 to 277.³

One reason for the large number of votes against the 51st state was the national grassroots campaign spearheaded by Citizens United against DC Statehood, a direct mail and advocacy group organized in 1990 by Floyd Brown, a Republican activist. His group sent out thousands of inflammatory mailers to conservatives asking, “Do you want a U.S. Senator who applauds Castro?...who embraces Arab terrorists? Or Black Muslim hatemongers? Or who wants socialism for our economy?...My friend, that’s what you’ll get if Ted Kennedy’s plan to make Washington, D.C. the nation’s 51st state goes through.” This grassroots campaign motivated conservatives in the 50 states to contact members of Congress. While statehood activists lobbied members of Congress, they did not have the capacity to mobilize support beyond DC.⁴

The Senate gave a lukewarm welcome to both Senator Jackson and DC statehood. The number of Senate cosponsors increased to 17, and 30 Senators promised Jackson to vote for the statehood bill that Kennedy had introduced. But there were no committee or subcommittee hearings on the legislation.

At mid-decade, political and economic developments were making it difficult for advocates to sustain the statehood movement. Following the midterm elections in 1994, Republicans became the majority in the House. Republican control of the House continued for 12 years. In 1995, Congress responded to DC’s desperate financial condition by installing a Control Board to oversee spending and the management of government agencies. There seemed to be little energy for statehood advocacy. Jackson decided not to run again for shadow senator and moved out of his Washington home. Neither Delegate Norton nor Senator Kennedy introduced statehood legislation at the beginning of 106th Congress in 1997. For the next 15 years, there would be no DC statehood legislation in Congress. The statehood movement came to a standstill.⁵

¹ “Passage of Statehood Bill by House in ’87 Predicted,” Washington Post, Mar 17, 1987; “Statehood is Far More Difficult,” Washington History, Fall 2017; “D.C. Votes ‘Shadow’ Lobbyists,” Washington Post, Mar 28, 1990; DC’s current shadow senators are Michael D.Brown and Paul Strauss. Franklin Garcia is the current shadow representative. The other shadow representatives in order of service are Charles Moreland, John Capozzi, Sabrina Sojourner, Tom Bryant, Ray Browne, Mike Panetta, and Nate Bennet Fleming.

² “Statehood Push Finds New Hope,” Washington Post, Mar 29 1992; “Activists Turn Up the Heat for Statehood,” Washington Post, Apr 2, 1993; “Statehood Proponents Rally around Capitol.” Washington Post, Apr 5,1992; “Mayor, 37 Others Arrested after Statehood Protest,” Washington Post, ,Aug 27,1993.

³ “Norton Wavers on Seeking Vote on D.C. Statehood,” Washington Post, Nov 11, 1993; “House Turns Down Statehood for D.C.,” Washington Post, Nov 22, 1993.

⁴ “THE NAYSAYERS; ‘Perhaps the most common concern is the economic viability of the proposed state,’” Washington Post, July 4, 1993.

⁵ “Asch and Musgrove, Chocolate City,  422-423; “GOP Rides Wave to Position of Power,” Washington Post, Nov 9, 1994; “DC Control Board Approved by House,” Washington Post, Apr 4, 1995.