Ahead of New Hampshire Primary, Steyer Becomes 17th Democratic Presidential Primary Candidate to Endorse 51 for 51
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, February 10, 2020
PRESS CONTACT:
Ahead of New Hampshire Primary, Steyer Becomes 17th Democratic Presidential Primary Candidate to Endorse 51 for 51
MANCHESTER, N.H. — While campaigning in New Hampshire, businessman Tom Steyer became the 17th presidential candidate to endorse 51 for 51, voicing his support for making Washington, D.C., the 51st state with only 51 votes in the Senate.
“Tom Steyer has not been shy about the need for bold solutions to our most urgent problems, and he understands that 51 votes in the Senate is the only politically viable path to D.C. statehood, ” said campaign manager Stasha Rhodes. “Supporting D.C. statehood in a vacuum is not enough — we need to create a politically viable path to its realization, and bypassing the filibuster to pass a statehood bill with 51 votes in the Senate does just that. It’s about time that 700,000 tax-paying Americans get actual, meaningful representation in our democracy. We’re grateful for Tom’s leadership and excited for him to join our team, along with 16 other current and former presidential candidates.”
With reforming and strengthening our democracy a key election issue, young D.C. natives have been traveling the country urging candidates to not only voice their support for D.C. statehood, but to back a Senate rule change that would make statehood a reality, as a part of the 51 for 51 campaign. The campaign is ramping up its efforts heading into the Nevada and South Carolina primaries.
Steyer is the 17th presidential candidate to pledge support for ending the disenfranchisement of the over 700,000 tax-paying residents of Washington, D.C., by passing statehood legislation with 51 votes in the Senate. In addition to Steyer, the current and former 2020 presidential candidates who have voiced their support for the 51 for 51 campaign are:
- Governor Steve Bullock
- Governor John Hickenlooper
- Governor Jay Inslee
- Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
- Senator Kamala Harris
- Senator Elizabeth Warren
- Secretary Julian Castro
- Representative John Delaney
- Representative Beto O’Rourke
- Representative Tim Ryan
- Representative Eric Swalwell
- Mayor Bill de Blasio
- Mayor Michael Bloomberg
- Mayor Pete Buttigieg
- Marianne Williamson
- Andrew Yang
# # #
51 for 51 is a coalition comprised of D.C.-based and national groups committed to equal representation rights for D.C.’s over 700,000 residents. The coalition of 20 progressive groups says American citizens living in the District deserve a voice in Congress and control over their own local laws.
Additional Information
Website: https://www.51for51.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/51for51