Puerto Ricans have once again voted in favor of admission into the United States as the 51st state. Connecticut residents are watching carefully as the state contains the highest percentage of Puerto Ricans in the country.
The island held its sixth non-binding referendum on the issue this past Tuesday. A majority of the voters answered yes, with 52% for and 48% against statehood, as of Wednesday afternoon. In 2012 and 2017, a majority of voters also supported statehood, but Congress did not take further action.
Statehood would give Puerto Rico two Senate seats, 5 House seats, and full voting privileges for its citizens. The island would also gain federal funding. But, critics note that it would increase federal taxes on the island.
Though most Puerto Ricans living in the United States have backed Democrats, it is not clear that a Puerto Rican state would vote reliably blue. Experts say it would likely be a swing state.