1) he House of Representatives takes only the second vote in history on a measure to make the District of Columbia the 51st state on Friday.

Well, kind of.

2) Technically the bill converts the capital city into a “commonwealth,” much like Virginia, Kentucky, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. The measure would rename Washington, DC “Douglass Commonwealth,” after abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

3) Each state has two statues in the Capitol. DC, since it’s not a state, only gets one statue..and it’s of Douglass.

The measure is appropriately titled “House Resolution 51.”

4) Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution calls for the creation of a federal district to be the seat of government. The Founders carved DC out of two states, Maryland Virginia, so no single state would have undue influence, hosting the capital.

5) DC sent back the “Virginia” portion in 1846. This was in part to help maintain the slave trade in the “Alexandria” section of DC along the Potomac River.

6) Alexandria and Arlington, VA comprised much of the old “Virginia” portions of DC. Markers of the old DC line are visible along King Street in Alexandria.

7) DC residents currently pay taxes, but have no voting representation on Capitol Hill. That spawned the city to issue license plates in the mid-1990s which read “Taxation Without Representation.”

8) The city has no official Senate representation…except a shadow senator who isn’t formally recognized by the Senate. However, DC has a non-voting delegate to the House, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). She can do everything in Congress except vote on the House floor.

9) DC is currently recognized in the electoral college. DC has three electoral votes – which is why the electoral college is 538 and not 535.

10) If DC becomes a state or commonwealth, well, it’s a state just like Maine or North Dakota. It would get two senators, and, based on its current population, one House member.

11) The mayor would become “governor” and the city council would perform as a legislative assembly. Congress currently serves as a type of overlord over DC and can intervene in some of the city’s laws and policies. But the bill would wipe out the role of Congress in DC’s affairs.

12) However, the legislation would carve out a capital district, a special political subdivision, around the White House, government buildings, the national mall and U.S. Capitol. That would be all that was left of the “District of Columbia.”

13) The House voted on statehood for DC in November, 1993. The measure would have renamed the city “New Columbia.” The bill failed, 277-153. However, the statehood movement has gained momentum in recent years.

14) House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) voted nay in 1993. But Hoyer supports statehood now. There are 36 House members still serving who voted on the 1993 bill.

15) The present legislation should pass. However, watch to see how moderate and conservative Democrats vote – especially freshmen. Keep an eye on Democrats who represent battleground districts - especially freshmen.

16) If the House approves the measure, it is going nowhere in the Senate. And President Trump opposes the plan.

17) Many Republicans are skeptical of awarding statehood to the city which has a 63 percent minority population. DC statehood would almost certainly guarantee two Democratic senators and one Democratic House members.

18) The U.S. admitted the last two states to the union as a compromise: Alaska and Hawaii, both in 1959. Alaska was admitted as the “Democratic” state and Hawaii as the “Republican” state. However, the politics of both states flipped over time.

19) Alaska is now more Republican and Hawaii is now more Democratic. However, both states have had various leading figures from the “opposite” party in recent years. But the key to statehood for Alaska and Hawaii key was balance.

20) There was a Republican state and a Democratic state. They offset one another. That will not happen if the District of Columbia is brought in unilaterally.

We expect final vote on the DC bill in the mid to late afternoon on Friday