After 35 years in office, D.C.’s longest-serving delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, is stepping down — and the race to replace her is heating up. At 88, Norton, who held the seat since 1990, initially said she wouldn’t run again, but changed her mind, opening the door for a crowded field including current council members Robert White and Brooke Pinto. This election is shaping up as one of the most consequential for D.C. since 1974, with voters also choosing a new mayor for the first time in 12 years and several key council seats. Though the delegate role — which dates back to the 1870s and was re-established in 1971 — still lacks full voting power on the House floor, Norton transformed it into a powerful advocacy platform. The next delegate will face steep challenges: building relationships across Capitol Hill, navigating partisan politics, and laying groundwork for D.C. statehood — while also mastering the art of influence in a system that doesn’t always bend for the District.

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