DC-AL: Eleanor Holmes Norton is facing her most serious political threat in decades
Longtime Washington congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton garnered her most serious political challenge in 35 years Thursday when Robert White, a third-term D.C. Council member and former aide to Norton, announced he would challenge her in next year’s Democratic primary.
Norton, 88, has faced mounting questions about her ability to serve in Congress that have been heightened in recent weeks by her absence from the public eye as President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans targeted the District of Columbia for a federal law enforcement takeover.
She has made some public appearances in recent weeks, including at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing Thursday where D.C.'s top elected officials testified about the city’s crime record. But she has largely stuck to reading written statements in an often halting voice. Amid doubts about whether she’s up for another term — including a public plea for retirement this week from her closest political adviser — Norton has repeatedly said she will seek re-election in 2026.
White, who was attending the House hearing, praised Norton’s political legacy in a brief interview. But, he added, “like most people in D.C., we recognize that she can’t do the things that she once did.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/18/robert-white-eleanor-holmes-norton-challenge-00571433