DC Vote Extends Its Gratitude to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 26, 2026
PRESS CONTACT:
Ilir Zherka
202-262-4687
[email protected]
WASHINGTON, DC (Jan. 26, 2026) – DC Vote issued the following statement in response to reports that Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has ended her congressional reelection campaign.
“Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton is a true warrior,” said Ilir Zherka, Interim Executive Director of DC Vote. “For more than three decades, Congresswoman Norton has been the conscience of Congress on behalf of the people of Washington, DC. She has spent her career fighting for a city denied its full voice in our democracy, carrying DC’s struggle for equal rights with courage, grit, and unwavering love for this city. Her legacy lives on in every step we have taken—and will continue to take—toward full representation.
“While Congresswoman Norton’s chapter in elected office may be ending, the fight she helped build is far from over. DC Vote remains steadfast in its determination to achieve equal representation for the people of the District of Columbia. We will continue organizing, advocating, and demanding that Congress end the injustice of taxation without representation and grant DC the full rights enjoyed by Americans in every state.”
Congresswoman Norton has been a relentless champion for DC statehood, introducing statehood legislation in every session of Congress since taking office and refusing to allow the issue of DC’s disenfranchisement to fade into the background. She made clear that the denial of full democratic rights to more than 700,000 DC residents is a moral failure and a stain on the nation’s democratic ideals. Her leadership helped elevate DC statehood from a marginalized issue to a national movement grounded in democratic fairness.
“DC Vote extends its deepest gratitude to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton for her extraordinary service, historic leadership, and unwavering commitment to justice for the people of Washington, DC,” added Zherka.