Washington, D.C. Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), who is a Georgetown University Law Center professor emerita, announced Jan. 27 that she will retire this year at the end of her term.
In a press release posted to her website, the 88-year-old Democrat announced the decision and expressed gratitude to her constituents, citing their long-term trust in her. The announcement comes amid increasing scrutiny around her age and high-profile calls urging her to step down.
Norton said she remains committed to D.C. residents despite her decision to step down.
“Although I’ve decided not to seek reelection, I will never falter in my commitment to the residents I have long championed,” Norton wrote in the press release. “I will continue to serve as D.C.’s Warrior on the Hill until the end of my current term.”
“I’ve had the privilege of representing the District of Columbia in Congress since 1991,” Norton added. “Time and again, D.C. residents entrusted me to fight for them at the federal level, and I have not yielded. With fire in my soul and the facts on my side, I have raised hell about the injustice of denying 700,000 taxpaying Americans the same rights given to residents of the states for 35 years.”
Norton first rose to prominence during the civil rights movement and was initially elected to Congress in 1990. Over her 35-year tenure, Norton primarily used her role to push for the District’s statehood. This push eventually culminated in the U.S. House of Representatives passing two bills for D.C. statehood in June 2020 and April 2021, though neither was adopted by the Senate.
Kinney Zalesne, a former Democratic National Committee (DNC) official running to fill Norton’s seat, said Norton has been a steadfast champion for D.C. residents.
“She has carried the District’s fight for statehood with unmatched persistence, making it a defining cause of her career,” Zalesne wrote to The Hoya. “Her legacy goes beyond legislation — she has been a pioneer for civil rights, an unwavering advocate for equality, and a source of pride for generations of Washingtonians.”
Norton, currently serving her 18th term in Congress, has faced mounting questions about her age and fitness to serve.
In June, four D.C. council members told The Washington Post they were concerned about the possibility of Norton seeking reelection. Critics have also pointed to her lack of action following the federal takeover of D.C. last year, when President Donald Trump federalized the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard in the city.
William Mead-McCaughan (CAS ’27), a student who grew up in the District, said while he respects Norton and her record in Congress, he supports her retiring.
“She’s a D.C. legend and has done a lot to serve the city, but it had become pretty clear that she was struggling health-wise and to keep up with the job,” Mead-McCaughan wrote to The Hoya. “So I’m very glad that she’s stepping down, especially because I think it’s essential that, to the extent possible, D.C. have a strong voice in Congress right now.”
Joseph Stocker (SFS ’28), a D.C.-Maryland-Virginia resident who attended school in the District, said Norton’s record is unimpressive.
“I don’t think she has accomplished anything of much significance in Congress, which may be more a testament to her lack of real power than to her ability,” Stocker wrote to The Hoya. “Her decision to step down will hopefully open the door for a younger and more energetic voice in the movement for D.C. statehood and home rule.”
Alix Nikolić de Jacinto (SFS ’28), who plans on voting in the D.C. Democratic primary, said that while she admires Norton’s service to D.C., new leadership could bring welcome change.
“She deserves a great deal of respect for her long-standing commitment to racial and gender equality, economic development in D.C. and D.C. statehood, regardless of your stance on that final point,” Nikolić de Jacinto wrote to The Hoya. “I do, however, feel that, until we can secure full voting representation, we need a delegate who can push the bounds of their position and advocate for the unique needs of D.C. residents in innovative, tangible ways.”
Following Norton’s retirement, D.C.’s congressional race includes city councilmembers Brooke Pinto and Robert White, Zalesne and the president of the D.C. State Board of Education, Jacque Patterson.
Mead-McCaughan said he hopes the District’s next delegate will continue Norton’s struggle for greater recognition of the District as an autonomous region.
“I think that the next congressional representative from D.C. has to really go to bat for statehood and other expansions of D.C. home rule,” Mead-McCaughan wrote. “Norton was always a staunch advocate for that, of course, but given Trump’s interventions into D.C. governance and the national guard deployment, I think it is more important now than perhaps ever before.”
