'She's missing stuff': Dems say octogenarian delegate isn't running her office

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, the 88-year-old Democratic lawmaker who has represented the District of Columbia in Congress since 1991, is facing growing concerns from colleagues who say she is no longer running her own office.

“She’s missing stuff,” a senior House Democrat told Axios for a report published Monday evening, describing Norton’s apparent disengagement from key legislative battles, including recent Republican-led attacks on the city's budget and laws. While Norton has long been “a formidable presence in the halls of Congress despite her non-voting status,” some Democrats quietly say her influence on Capitol Hill has faded, Axios said.

"There was a time when she lobbied her colleagues to explain D.C.'s positions," a Democrat who worked with Norton on the Oversight Committee reportedly said. "She doesn't do that anymore."

Norton’s floor presence has dropped from 44 days in 2019 to 2020, to just 18 over the past two years, Axios reported Monday. Her public appearances have also fallen, and her staff has had to clarify or walk back her comments on at least two occasions.

"She shows up to committee, she reads the speech," A third House Democrat told the publication about Norton.

The Democratic lawmaker is now drawing comparisons from some colleagues to the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

"All of that is true," a fourth House Democrat said. "She reads what her staff puts in front of her. She can't say anything she's not reading. That's a staff-driven office now, just like you saw in the Senate with Feinstein.”

Still, Norton found some who defended her, including Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), who said Norton has been “more visible than I've seen most members.”

But among Democrats in leadership roles, the conversation about her potential reelection plans is turning “delicate,” according to Axios.