Overview
- Robert White publicly unveiled the Defend D.C. effort Monday, saying it will recruit, train and transport District residents to canvass in nearby Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey congressional districts.
- The campaign will create a political action committee to back candidates who support D.C. statehood and local control and has named Rep. John McGuire (R‑Va.) as its first public target.
- Organizers frame the push as a direct response to increased federal intervention in the District, including an executive order that allowed federal agents into the city and a National Guard deployment extended through 2029.
- Advocates are reframing statehood as a practical political tool to gain two Senate seats and build alliances that could blunt redistricting and voting‑rights rollbacks, a shift from past appeals focused mainly on fairness.
- The plan echoes a 1970s strategy by delegate Walter Fauntroy that sent D.C. activists to pivotal districts, but organizers acknowledge modern limits such as gerrymandering and the small number of truly competitive seats, leaving the effort’s electoral impact uncertain.