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Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the longtime non-voting representative for Washington, D.C., has filed paperwork indicating she will not seek re-election, signaling a potential end to her more than 30-year tenure in Congress.
Norton, who has represented the District since 1991, has not publicly announced her retirement, and her office declined to comment on the filing, which was first reported by NOTUS.
The 88-year-old lawmaker has faced months of pressure to clarify her plans. As recently as June, Norton told reporters she intended to run again, though her office later said no final decision had been made.
A civil rights trailblazer and former chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Norton has long framed D.C. statehood as a racial justice issue for a majority-Black city denied full representation in Congress, becoming one of the longest-serving Black women in congressional history despite lacking a formal House vote.
Calls for Norton to step aside intensified last fall, including from Donna Brazile, a former Democratic National Committee interim chair who once served as her campaign manager and chief of staff.
Local leaders have begun reflecting on Norton’s legacy. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser praised her “remarkable career,” citing her decades-long fight for full representation and statehood for District residents.
With Norton’s apparent departure, the race to succeed her is already underway, with D.C. Councilmember Robert White and former Democratic National Committee official Kinney Zalesne entering the contest.
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