Trump's intervention in Washington raises calls for his representative to step down in the House of Representatives, which lasts 18 terms World news

Troops are patrolling train stations and streets in the country's capital. Masked federal law enforcement agents detain District of Columbia residents. Congress passes bills that increase pressure on the city's self-government. The one person who could be a voice for Washington on Capitol Hill was a rare sight.

Even longtime allies say Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton, the district's nonvoting delegate to the House, has not risen to the challenge of pushing back against the Trump administration's interference in her city. They cite her 88 years of age and diminished demeanor.

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This raised questions about the future of the representative who has served 18 terms in this position, and led to calls for her to step down and make way for a new generation of leaders. The race to replace her has begun in earnest, with two D.C. Council members, including a former Norton aide, announcing campaigns for the 2026 contest.

“D.C. is under attack like never before in modern history, and we need a new champion to defend us,” Donna Brazile, who was previously Norton's chief of staff, wrote in a Washington Post op-ed.

Brazile recognized Norton's legendary service and why she might want to continue. “As I have told her personally, retiring from Congress is the right next chapter for her and the district,” Brazile said. Norton has so far resisted this call.

Her office declined to make her available for an interview, and her campaign office did not respond to requests for comment. Norton, the House's oldest member, took office in 1991 and has indicated she plans to run next year.

Federal intervention created new demands for Washington to be granted self-government through a limited self-government agreement passed by Congress in 1973 that allowed residents to elect a mayor and city council. But federal political leaders retain absolute control over local affairs, including budget approval and laws passed by that council.

This freedom was subject to further restrictions after Republican President Donald Trump issued an emergency order in August. Intended to combat crime, he federalized the city's police department and pumped federal agents and National Guard troops into the city. Trump's emergency order expired in September, but federal troops and officers are still there.

While the position of D.C. delegate is non-voting, it gives district residents, who have no other representation in Congress, a voice by making speeches on the House floor and introducing the bill.

Even without voting in Congress, “there are a lot of things a delegate can do from that position, even if it's just using the bully pulpit,” said Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, a voting rights group. “Even if it's just encouraging people or showing that fight that a lot of people want to see.”

In his public appearances, Norton appeared uneasy and had difficulty reading from prepared remarks, including at a recent committee hearing that focused on stripping Washington of some of its independence in prosecuting crimes.

During Trump's month-long state of emergency and since then, Norton has not been as publicly visible as city officials, who have attended protests and held media events denouncing the intervention.

Without congressional leaders pushing for party unity on Washington's interests, the role of delegate has added importance, said George Derek Musgrove, an associate professor of history at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

“The delegate really has to be a one-person whip operation to try to get the caucus on the same page against this Republican attack,” Musgrove said. It is unclear what a more active delegate would have done, given Trump's expansive vision of executive power and Republican control of Congress.

However, some critics of its performance have suggested that it may have helped the city avoid the latest federal budget plan that blew a $1.1 billion budget hole earlier this year. Months later, Congress has yet to agree to fix the shortage, although Trump has supported it.

As Norton calmed down, other leaders in the Democratic-run city filled the void since Trump declared a state of emergency. Mayor Muriel Bowser assumed the role of the district's chief intermediary with the administration and Congress, and was joined by the Council, although this communication was fragmented.

D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has sued the administration in the most combative stance against the federal government's actions. When she left a recent House hearing on the district, she responded with a firm “no” when reporters asked her if she was retiring.

Among those seeking to challenge her in next year's Democratic primary are two council members — Robert White Jr., a former Norton aide, and Brooke Pinto. Several other people in town have expressed interest. Allies, including Bowser and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, have refused to publicly endorse another run for Norton.

A push for new faces Norton's life is a journey through American history. In 1963, she divided her time between Yale Law School and Mississippi University, where she volunteered with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

One day during Freedom Summer, civil rights activist Medgar Evers picked her up at the airport. He was assassinated that night. Norton also helped organize and attend the 1963 March on Washington.

Norton went on to become the first woman to lead the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which helps enforce anti-discrimination laws in the workplace. She ran for office when her predecessor retired to run for mayor of Washington.

Tom Davis, a former Republican congressman from Virginia and a staunch ally of Norton who has worked with her on a number of bills, said voters should know who she is and what she is capable of doing, even now.

“It saved the city,” he said, pointing to accomplishments such as a 1997 law that saved the city from bankruptcy, as well as improved access to universities. “She was a great partner.” Both major political parties are eager for new faces, Davis said.

She is still highly respected. “She has a lot of seniority,” he said. “I think she's earned the right to exit on her own terms. But it's up to the voters.”

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