Eleanor Holmes Norton to Retire as Washington, D.C. Delegate at End of Term

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, the 88-year-old nonvoting representative for Washington, D.C., announced on Tuesday that she will retire at the end of her term after three decades in Congress. Ms. Norton, the oldest person serving in the House, said in a statement, “Thank you to my constituents for choosing and trusting me to fight for you in Congress 18 times.

I will leave this institution knowing that I have given you everything I have.” Once a forceful voice for the district and a longtime advocate for D.C. statehood, she is a civil-rights leader and former law professor who entered Congress in 1991 and earned the moniker of D.C.’s “warrior on the Hill.” In recent years she had retreated from congressional duties amid signs of mental and physical decline and had repeatedly rejected suggestions that she would step aside.

Her office declined to confirm on Sunday whether she planned to retire after her campaign filed a termination notice for her re-election, and she issued no statement then, raising questions about whether she had approved the move — or even knew about it. Her exit closes a strained final chapter in which she often appeared confused and less vocal on Capitol Hill.

Several potential candidates, including a former top staff member, Trent Holbrook, and members of the D.C. City Council, had already announced plans to run for the seat.

Key Topics

Politics, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington Dc, Dc Statehood, Us Congress, Trent Holbrook