Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) is giving Capitol Hill whiplash over whether she is running for reelection in 2026, with her office walking back several of the congresswoman’s own statements in the last month that she plans to seek another term.
Norton, 88, has faced concerns from several D.C. Council members and her own congressional colleagues on whether it’s time to pass the torch after representing the district in Congress since 1991. She told reporters twice in June that she plans to run for reelection, only for her spokeswoman, Sharon Nichols, to walk it back shortly after.
On Wednesday, Norton told an NBC News reporter, “Yeah, I’m gonna run for reelection.” Nichols walked back her remarks an hour-and-a-half later to Axios, stating that “no decision has been made.”
“She wants to run but is still discussing it with the people closest to her,” Nichols said.
The walkback came 16 days after Norton first told reporters she would seek reelection on June 10. Norton’s office gave the Washington Examiner a similar statement:
“She wants to run but is in conversations with her family and close advisers to determine the best course of action,” her office said.
Concerns over Norton’s ability to serve have come to the forefront after the House Oversight Committee prioritized investigations into former President Joe Biden’s “mental decline” during his term. Along with the investigation, Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s new book Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again details the extent to which White House aides hid Biden’s health problems.
Norton has been a staple on Capitol Hill for decades, particularly as she led the charge to achieve statehood for the District of Columbia. She keeps public appearances to a minimum but fiercely advocates for D.C. on the Oversight Committee, especially as the panel considered a slew of D.C.-related bills during the 118th and 119th Congresses.
But some House Democrats think it’s time for her to allow the district to have a new champion, and scoff at the idea that Norton would be the only one who could fight for D.C.’s wish for statehood or other district-centric issues.
“It’s ridiculous,” one House Democrat told the Washington Examiner. “There are so many young — and by young, I mean under 65 — people, activists, community leaders here in D.C. that I’m sure would love the opportunity to run, but they have such an incredible sense of not wanting to do anything that would be seen as disrespectful.”
The lawmaker added that the secret of elected office is “knowing when it’s time to go.”
“It’s at our peril if any of us start to believe that we’re the only ones that can do the job,” the House Democrat added.
Axios reported earlier in June that some Democratic colleagues have seen signs of decline in the congresswoman, noting that “there was a time when she lobbied her colleagues to explain D.C.’s positions.”
“She doesn’t do that anymore,” one lawmaker told the outlet.
The Washington Post reported that Norton is unable to function without the help of a slew of aides, friends, and family members.
Other Democrats told the outlet she is going through the motions of a lawmaker led by her staff, noting that she “reads what her staff puts in front of her” and that it is a “staff-driven office now.” They compared her to the late California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who many believed stayed in office far longer than she should have due to her health.
But some Democrats are steering clear of offering commentary on Norton’s capabilities and decisions. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) said it’s “up to her and her people.”
“If people feel like she needs to retire, they’ll make their voices heard,” Frost said.
Mayor Muriel Bowser has declined to comment on whether she has confidence in Norton to do her job as a nonvoting delegate. Though she can’t cast a vote on the House floor, most of her power comes from articulating D.C.’s needs in hearings and committees to influence policy decisions.
“I am really focused on making sure our city is strong politically and stable economically, and I think there is time for talking about elections, and I don’t choose to do that right now,” Bowser said in mid-June.
Another House Democrat declined to say whether they thought it was time for Norton to go, but acknowledged the downside of having the lawmaker and her office at odds with each other.
“I think we just would need to wait for an actual official statement instead of what sounds like an awkward back and forth,” the lawmaker told the Washington Examiner.
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“I hope that that kind of gets cleared up, and that something official gets put out, so that folks in D.C. should know what the lay of the land is,” they added.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Norton for comment.