New D.C. Vote head vows fight for statehood will go national

The newly hired director for D.C. Vote, an activist group with a mission to give the capital city statehood, says the time is ripe for a victory.

“Somebody said to me, ‘This issue hasn’t been solved in 227 years. What makes you think it will happen now?’ But I think it will,” said Kimberly Perry, in a Roll Call report.

“I think the momentum is strong. … Statehood and voting rights are in our near future.”

She could be right.

President Obama put “Taxation Without Representation” on his administrations’ fleet of vehicles in January, and the White House has issued a couple of statements in support of statehood for the city.

And members of the House have recently introduced pro-statehood legislation, Roll Call reports.

Ms. Perry hasn’t specifically outlined how she intended to fulfill her statehood goals — except to say she’s taking the fight beyond city borders.

“[I’m] taking this campaign out of D.C., putting more pressure on Congress and providing an opportunity for even more voices to be heard on a regular basis,” she said, as Roll Call reports.

Ms. Perry — who has a lengthy history of campaign organizing, lobbying and fundraising, and a platform that includes international recognition — will assume her leadership role with the group on April 10, Roll Call says.

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