D.C. in 2024 Republican and Democratic Party Platforms

By: Miriam Edelman

D.C. was featured in both the 2024 Republican and Democratic Party Platforms and Project 2025. Not surprisingly, the Republican Party Platform wants to increase the federal government’s management of the nation’s capital, while the Democratic Party Platform calls for D.C. statehood.

Republican Party Platform

“The 2024 GOP Platform: Make America Great Again” mentioned Republican’s desire for more federal dominance of the nation’s capital and continued Republicans’ focus on crime in the city. The eleventh of the Republicans’ 20 points in the agenda is “REBUILD OUR CITIES, INCLUDING WASHINGTON DC, MAKING THEM SAFE, CLEAN, AND BEAUTIFUL AGAIN.” “CHAPTER EIGHT: BRING COMMON SENSE TO GOVERNMENT AND RENEW THE PILLARS OF AMERICAN CIVILIZATION” includes “3. Make Washington D.C. the Safest and Most Beautiful Capital City” and “Republicans will reassert greater Federal Control over Washington, DC to restore Law and Order in our Capital City, and ensure Federal Buildings and Monuments are well-maintained.”

Interestingly, D.C. Republican Chair Pat Mara said, “I'm not worried that the language in this platform infringes upon home rule in the District of Columbia.” This comment is not the first time that Mara has made comments that can be construed as undermining D.C. local autonomy.

In Florida during the week of July 8, 2024, Trump echoed the Republican platform saying,

We will take over the horribly run capital of our nation in Washington, D.C., and clean it up, renovate it and rebuild our capital city so there is no longer a nightmare of murder and crime, but, rather, it will become the most beautiful capital anywhere in the world. Right now, if you leave Florida – let's go, darling. Let's look at the Jefferson Memorial, let's look at the Washington Monument. Let's go and look at some of the beautiful scenes, and you end up getting shot, mugged, raped.

and

We're going to take over our capital, and we're going to run it tough and smart, and we're going to beautify it. We're going to get all the graffiti off the marble. We're going to fix the roads and the median, which are falling down all over the streets. We're going to make our capital beautiful again.

He also remarked

And we will take over the horribly run capital of our nation, horribly run. We have a capital that we all love. Right now it's a rat-infested, graffiti-infested, and we're going to take it away from the mayor. And again, that doesn't make me popular there, but I have to say it.

Democratic Party Platform

The 2024 Democratic Party Platform supports D.C. statehood:

Democrats reject the unequal treatment of residents of D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories. We unequivocally support statehood for D.C., which its residents overwhelmingly support but Republicans blocked from even getting a vote in the Senate.

Not surprisingly, the D.C. Democratic State Committee strongly supports D.C. statehood. As its website states: “We fight for DC Statehood, using the tools, resources, and network of the Democratic Party to help achieve representation and equity for the 700,000+ residents of Washington, DC.” and “DC Statehood is a core issue for Democrats; the Democratic Party platform stresses the importance of Restoring and Strengthening Our Democracy and making Washington, DC the 51st State.” The Committee has monthly D.C. statehood action meetings and multiple podcast episodes regarding this topic.

Conclusion

D.C. must become a state as soon as possible. D.C. statehood would finally let D.C. residents be full U.S. citizens.