88-year-old Democrat Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), the nonvoting congressional delegate for Washington, D.C. since 1991, has effectively ended her political career, quietly signaling she will not seek re-election.
According to Politico, Norton’s campaign filed a termination notice with the Federal Election Commission on Sunday, a move that “essentially signal[s] an end to her campaign.”
The filing comes amid mounting concerns over Norton’s mental acuity following revelations last year that a police report described her as being in the “early stages of dementia.”
Police Report Described “Early Stages of Dementia”
According to two police reports obtained by NBC Washington, Norton was victimized by scammers posing as duct and fireplace cleaners.
The individuals entered her home, accessed her credit cards, and charged her $4,400 for work that was never performed.
One police report explicitly stated:
“Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), 88 years old, Black Woman, suffers from the early stages of dementia.”
The report also noted that Norton’s caretaker holds power of attorney.
Office Pushes Back Without Interviews
A spokesperson for Norton disputed the police report’s conclusions, saying:
“The medical diagnosis included in the police report was based on an assumption the reporting officer was unqualified to make.
“Furthermore, Congresswoman Norton doesn’t have a caretaker.”
“A longtime employee and friend serves as the house manager, residing at a separate address,” the statement added.
However, as National Review editor Jim Geraghty observed, Norton was never made available for interviews following the incident to refute the dementia claims.
Even the New York Times Noticed
In what became one of the most revealing lines written about the situation, the New York Times reported:
“It was not clear whether Washington’s 88-year-old veteran delegate, who has been in declining health but has insisted she would seek re-election, was aware of the filing.”
As critics noted at the time, the question couldn’t be answered because Norton declined interviews.
Democrats Quietly Pulled the Plug
Behind the scenes, even longtime Democratic allies had begun urging Norton to step aside.
Former acting Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile publicly called on Norton not to run again last September.
“She is no longer the dynamo she once was, at a time when D.C. needs the kind of energetic representation in Congress she provided for decades,” Brazile wrote in an op-ed.
Brazile was not a casual observer.
She served as Norton’s campaign manager during her first run in 1990 and remained her chief of staff for eight years.
An Exit Long Overdue
Norton’s quiet campaign termination marks the end of a tenure that spanned more than three decades, and raises renewed questions about how long Democratic Party leadership was willing to look the other way as serious concerns about cognitive decline mounted.
The filing may have been administrative, but the campaign is over, whether the congresswoman knew it or not.
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