The Race for 51st Place
In March, the House of Representatives voted to allow the commonwealth of Puerto Rico to hold a referendum on statehood. Although the Senate is expected to sit on the idea indefinitely, advocates of D.C. statehood are not pleased. It was only five years ago, after all, that a supposedly more sympathetic Democratic Congress squashed statehood for our capital city in an embarrassingly lopsided 277-153 vote.
To some, the tacit approval of Puerto Rican statehood is especially galling in light of D.C.'s more statelike behavior. One of the main differences: Our amigos in the Indies are curently exempt from federal taxes; statehood would mean more money in federal coffers. But a brief glance at some of the other disparities between the two might explain both why Puerto Rico would make a better state than D.C. and why the Latino-courting GOP might prefer it.
—Jake Tapper
| Candidates | Puerto Rico | District of Columbia |
| Population | 3,782,862 | 543,213 |
| Climate | Mild; mean temperature of 77 F | Unbearable summer humidity; wearisome, drab winters |
| Official Motto | "Joannes est Nomen ejus" (John is his name) | "Justicia Omnibus" (Justice for all) |
| Unofficial Motto (drug-induced) | "Gatillo al chota" (Shoot down the snitch)—ubiquitous graffiti slogan |  "The bitch set me up"—Mayor Marion Barry |
| Local Government | Democratically elected representative house | Democratically elected but federally baby-sat council |
| Language | Spanish | Bureaucratic gobbledygook |
| Political litmus test | 82% pro-life 91% pro-school prayer |
Mayor Barry endorsed a 1997 initiative to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes |
| Voter registration | Not known (Puerto Ricans can't vote in U.S. elections) | 78% Democrat 7% Republican |
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