GOP Senators Attack On Washington D.C. Statehood Spectacularly Backfires

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) on Monday tried to make the case against statehood for Washington D.C. But given his own state’s history, it didn’t go well. 

Rounds tweeted: 

Rounds’ tweet appeared after a day of non sequitur attacks on D.C. statehood, such as the weird (and false ) claim by Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.) that it would be the only state without an auto dealership. (The U.S. Constitution does not mention auto dealerships as a condition for statehood.)

Many were quick to remind Rounds that the Founders didn’t particularly envision statehood for any form of Dakota at all, much less a “South Dakota.” And in the years prior to its eventual admission as two states, there was just one Dakota: the Dakota Territory. One reason it was split just before admission was to give Republicans two more Senate seats  including the one Rounds now occupies.  

Rounds’ critics on Twitter also shared a few other facts about what the Founding Fathers intended: