Former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said Democrats must, as a long-term measure to combat threats to voting rights, put on the table "granting statehood to Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico" and expanding the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices. Writing on Substack, Harris—who may consider a second presidential run—called for a "brainstorm without bad ideas," also proposing reform or elimination of the electoral college, greater accountability tools for the Senate Judiciary Committee over judicial nominees who lie, and binding ethics reform for Supreme Court justices.
As the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, Harris had backed the party platform under then-President Joe Biden supporting binding federal legislation offering Puerto Rico statehood, independence, or sovereignty in free association, though her own Puerto Rico agenda only briefly mentioned support for Puerto Rican self-determination. Her comments came in an article revisiting the Supreme Court's Louisiana v. Callais ruling, which complicates proving racial discrimination in state redistricting. Asked in May about Harris's stance, House Natural Resources Committee ranking Democrat Rep.
Jared Huffman (California)—deferential to Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández, who supports the current Estado Libre Asociado territorial status—said the statehood conversation must include Puerto Ricans themselves. Harris wrote bluntly: Democrats need more courage and cannot fear discussing systemic reforms to restore voting rights.