88-Year-Old Democrat Keeps Saying She’s Running for Re-Election — And Her Staff Keeps Walking It Back

(Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

An 88-year-old Democrat keeps insisting that she’s running for re-election, forcing her staff to later make statements walking those claims back.

Eleanor Holmes Norton, the D.C. delegate in the House, first told NBC News’ Sahil Kapur in early June that she intended to run again.

“I’m going to run,” she told Kapur at the time. “I don’t know why anybody would even ask me.”

Just hours later, however, Norton’s office published a statement clarifying that Norton was “in conversations with her family, friends, and closest advisors to decide what’s best.” Norton celebrated her 88th birthday days later.

Two weeks later, it happened again. In another report from Kapur published June 25, Norton reaffirmed her intention to run for office, and again, her office scrambled to notify the media that a firm decision on her future had not yet been made.

In a report published Monday, Politico reporter Michael Schaffer examined this back-and-forth between Norton and her staff to explain the struggles the media faces in speaking to elderly politicians.  When asked upfront about taking Norton’s statements at “face value” in the future, Sharon Nichols — the delegate’s spokesperson — did not respond to Schaffer’s inquiry. There was also no explanation given for the conflicting statements.