Eleanor Norton

Donna Brazile:

And she worked across the aisle. Eleanor forged relationships with Newt Gingrich when the Republicans took control of Congress in 1994, during congressional recess period while other members went home or allowed their staff to go on vacation, Eleanor worked harder because she said we had to be there for the residents of D.C. When I talked to her son the other day, he reminded me that she went out and bought an answering machine so that District residents could call her, not only at work, they also could leave a message at home, and she would have the staff play back the recording so that we could follow up and take care of the residents of the District of Columbia.

Donna Brazile:

Eleanor has a one track mind when it comes to the District, she’s like, ‘Well, Congress is on recess, I’ll be back at work next week.’ She doesn’t intend to slow down, but at 88 she’s not as fast as she once was. Eleanor is not a quitter. The last thing she wanted to do was to quit at a time when D.C. is once again under attack from the federal government, but we encouraged her to do what we believe was in her own best interest, and that is to take care of herself, take care of her health. Quite honestly, she’s at an age now where we would like to make sure that she’s able to rest more, be more comfortable in her own home environment, and not run around the District. You know, it took almost three decades to get Eleanor to stop driving herself around the District. She went to every event across this city for over 30 years by driving herself. She wanted residents to know that she did not require staff to help her, but when the time came that the staff wanted to help her. She was reluctant even then, but we finally convinced her to allow us to help her. That’s Eleanor. She’s a strong woman.

Donna Brazile:

I started talking to her in the summer about thinking about retirement, and she didn’t like it at first. There are many people in D.C. who would like to see Eleanor Holmes Norton run again. There are many. They have called her, and I have called them back and said, ‘No, no, no, let her rest.’ Part of the problem was that she had just as many people telling her to ‘Run, run, run,’ as many of us who were saying ‘No, it’s time to pass the torch.’

Donna Brazile:

I wanted Eleanor to consider retirement when she turned 80. I think had Kamala Harris won, I still would be in this position. Public service is Eleanor’s life. But as you know, no job can last forever. I told her in person, retirement from Congress is the right next chapter. She’s a champion. She’s my friend, and honestly, I’m happy that she finally got to this point, but it’s a journey of a lifetime to have worked with and for and seen Eleanor do so much for the people that she loves.