Eleanor Holmes Norton, the delegate from the District of Columbia and oldest member of the House of Representatives, backtracked on her plans to run for reelection after saying unequivocally on Tuesday, “I’m going to run.”
It is now unclear whether she will.
Despite concerns about her age and engagement on various issues, including from some Washington city council members, Norton had said she planned to run for reelection. And on Tuesday, when asked by reporters for her response to criticism over concerns about her age, Norton said her decision to run for reelection shouldn’t come as a surprise.
“I’m going to run,” she told reporters, according to Politico. “I don’t know why anybody would even ask me.”
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Hours later, her office said in a statement reported by The New York Times that she still had not made up her mind.
“Through thoughtful discussions with my friends, family, and closest advisors, I’m still considering my options for the next election cycle,” Norton said in the statement.
“She wants to run again but she’s in conversations with her family, friends, and closest advisors to decide what’s best,” a spokesperson for Norton told NOTUS of the apparent discrepancy.
Norton, who turns 88 this week and has served as the district’s delegate since 1991, has faced questions about her ability to run as she has racked up absences from the House, prompting discussions among local Democrats about whether this should be her final term.
Norton earned herself the nickname of “warrior on the Hill” after developing a reputation for effectively defending the district’s interests, even without voting power. She has consistently won more than 80% of the vote in every election since 1992.
But it’s a critical moment for her. Some Republicans have signaled a desire to pull power away from the District of Columbia, and have cast it crime-ridden in their broader messaging. After passing legislation that accidentally cut $1 billion from the district’s budget earlier this year, Congress has yet to address it.
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Amelia Benavides-Colón is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.
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