FreedomWorks fights D.C. statehood push with ‘Make D.C. Maryland Again’ campaign

The conservative activists at FreedomWorks are proposing to let Maryland absorb much of Washington, D.C. as part of a new campaign fighting against the liberal push for D.C. statehood. 

The “Make D.C. Maryland Again” campaign announced by FreedomWorks on Tuesday as part of the conservative advocacy group’s larger mobilization against the For The People Act, or H.R. 1, which is congressional Democrats’ election overhaul bill. 

The bill includes a section arguing that there are “no constitutional, historical, fiscal, or economic reasons why the Americans who live in the District of Columbia should not be granted statehood.” FreedomWorks vehemently disagrees. 

“D.C. residents deserve to have equal representation in Congress, but making D.C. a state is not the way to achieve this — in fact, doing so would be a blatant violation of the Constitution,” said Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks president, in a statement. “This is a fact that the left is all too eager to brush to the side. That’s why the best, most realistic path to guaranteeing representation for the residents of D.C. includes returning the majority of the District of Columbia back to Maryland.”

Mr. Brandon said FreedomWorks supports the District of Columbia-Maryland Reunion Act, which Rep. Dusty Johnson, South Dakota Republican, introduced earlier this year. Mr. Johnson previously introduced the bill last year, but it went nowhere. 

Now, Mr. Johnson has 11 Republican cosponsors for his proposal to scale down the seat of the government and hand the rest over to Maryland. 

As part of a week-long campaign against congressional Democrats’ election bill, FreedomWorks is hanging yellow signs with the words “Make D.C. Maryland Again” in Washington, D.C. The conservative activists are also rallying against the bill in Arizona, Ohio, Texas, and West Virginia this week. 

FreedomWorks said on Thursday it will run ads against the bill in West Virginia on the video streaming service Hulu that are aimed at mobilizing “persuadable, moderate, and liberal voters” to pressure Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin to oppose the bill.