In DC, candidates line up for a job with little power

WASHINGTON — For three decades, Eleanor Holmes Norton has embodied her role as the District of Columbia’s delegate in Congress. But with her grip on the job seemingly slipping and nine months to go until the Democratic primary, local politicians are bracing for a fight not seen since her first election in 1990.

On paper, it’s a tough sell: The delegate is among the least powerful members of the House, with no final vote on the floor and the sisyphean task of pushing for statehood. Recently, the gig has involved locking horns with Republicans as the president sends in federal troops.

But in a part of the country with no sworn senators, no representatives, and no governor’s office to run for, Norton’s seat is looking pretty good to a growing list of hopefuls.

“This is a huge opportunity for people. There are only so many elected offices,” said Mary Cheh, a former member of the D.C. Council who can feel the mood shifting. “Nobody’s been around longer than Eleanor. It’s like the floodgates opening, everybody runs.”

One of those is Robert White, a current at-large D.C. councilmember. He announced his campaign for delegate last week, right as House Republicans were using an oversight hearing to paint the city as ridden with crime and unable to govern itself.

“We only have one seat in this entire body. The person in that seat has to be our best fighter,” said White, who once worked as an aide to Norton and came in second to Muriel Bowser in the 2022 Democratic mayoral primary.

For White, it’s all about the timing. “If you had talked to me over the summer, I would’ve told you there’s no chance I’m running,” he said, citing Donald Trump’s show of force as a turning point. “This is our biggest vulnerability. … We may not have an elected D.C. government if we can’t turn the tide here.”

He won’t be the only one making that case ahead of the primary in June. Others who say they’re running include Kinney Zalesne, who did stints at the Justice Department and the Democratic National Committee; Jacque Patterson, president of the D.C. State Board of Education; and Deirdre Brown, chair of the Ward 3 D.C. Democrats. Last year, primary challenger Kelly Mikel Williams came up short with roughly 20% of the vote, while Kymone Freeman of the D.C. Statehood Green Party peeled off 7% in the general for a distant second place.

Against the backdrop of National Guard troops in the streets and a president bent on exerting more federal control, the race is taking on a sense of urgency. “No one is coming to save us,” Zalesne said.

Brown said the District needs a stronger voice on the Hill in this moment.

“The council is paying God knows how much money to a lobbying firm,” she said, referring to the council’s strategy this month to send a lobbyist to the halls of Congress. “Well, we have a lobbyist. That’s the delegate.”

As some House Democrats join Republicans in seeking to override local crime laws, concerns about the 88-year-old Norton’s staying power have only grown. There’s no going back after Donna Brazile, her former chief of staff, penned an op-ed last week calling on Norton to retire, saying she’s “no longer the dynamo she once was.”

Despite some mixed signals, Norton has insisted she will run for a 19th term and told reporters that again last week. Asked for comment, her office referred to her campaign, which did not respond to multiple requests.

It’s shaping up to be her toughest test since her first primary in 1990, when she beat out a handful of opponents for the open seat. But could any of the candidates currently in the mix actually dislodge Norton, who has done so much to shape the role?

“She’s still a household name in the District of Columbia,” D.C. Democratic Party Chair Charles Wilson said. “Anybody running against an incumbent has to make the case to the public as to why they should make that change.”

‘A lion for D.C.’

Locals are eager to avoid a national problem for Democrats: older officials staying longer than they should, like President Joe Biden or former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. But nudging out an aging politician is a delicate issue, particularly a civil rights activist and Yale-educated lawyer who notched landmark victories for women’s rights.

Norton is just the second person to hold the D.C. delegate position in the modern era after Walter E. Fauntroy, who served from 1971 until 1991. She defined the job as it stands today and even managed to expand its power, pushing leaders to allow delegates limited floor voting privileges in what’s known as the Committee of the Whole.

She landed tax credits for D.C. homebuyers and businesses, helped steer the city out of a financial crisis in the 1990s and has reintroduced statehood legislation each Congress. Twice, in 2020 and 2021, the statehood bill advanced out of the House.

White said Norton has been a “lion for D.C.,” but that intensity has been harder to spot lately. Around the Capitol, she is led arm-in-arm by staffers, and she’s mostly stuck to scripted remarks since Trump’s 30-day federalization of local police and deployment of the National Guard.

“Many of us have had concerns even prior to this election cycle, because when you observe her at close hand, you can see she does suffer some impairments,” said Cheh, pointing to Norton’s shuffling gait.

Some are closing the door on Norton, even if she won’t. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., told The Washington Post last week that “it’s become obvious that the great Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton can’t run in 2026 and everybody should give her some space to figure out the timing of her announcement.”

Others are demurring. “I’ll give her the space to make her own decision, but I’ve served with her for many years … and I think she’ll do the right thing,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

One Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said Norton was still showing up.

“She does more than a lot of members do,” the lawmaker said. “She shows up to every hearing, she’s got a speech ready. Her staff is doing a great job. She comes to meetings that are not required.”

The field

If Norton bows out, more candidates and bigger names could join the race, where winning the Democratic primary is tantamount to winning the general election in deep-blue D.C. But some say they’re in it no matter her decision.

Zalesne, who said she first met Norton in 1995 while she was working in the Clinton White House, described an urge to defend the place she and roughly 700,000 other residents call home. The nation’s capital is subject to broad congressional oversight under the Constitution, and advocates fear that federal lawmakers could not only leave the statehood question to languish but also dismantle the current system of home rule.

“I think we can honor her legacy and still acknowledge that it’s time for a new voice and new energy to carry on the fight,” said Zalesne, whose campaign said she’s raised around $365,000 since launching in July. Norton has reported pulling in around $48,000 through June, federal records show, though $40,000 of that was money she loaned her campaign.

“Energy” has emerged as the key word for the House hopefuls, with most saying D.C. needs a fighter in the role. Patterson, for example, called the current moment “a time that we need to be aggressive.” It’s a message they hope will resonate with frustrated voters as Bowser uses the mayor’s office to strike a more conciliatory tone with Trump and congressional Republicans.

While some observers say they’re ready for a rowdy, wide-ranging debate about how to push back on federal encroachment, others wonder if a crowded field could allow Norton, the incumbent with the most name recognition, to skate by.

“I don’t know what Eleanor is going to do. But if she stays in the race, it’s the usual case that the incumbent really makes out well,” Cheh said. “If you have tons of other opponents and Eleanor stays in, my notion is that she’ll be greatly advantaged by this.”

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