An 88-year-old Democrat congresswoman who reportedly has dementia, a full time caretaker, and a power of attorney is running for re-election
Democratic Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C) is the oldest member in Congress, and is facing growing pressure to retire because of her cognitive health.
Norton was recently scammed out of thousands of dollars.
In the police report about the incident, she was listed as having early-stage dementia.
Even so, she plans to move forward with her re-election campaign in 2026.
According to a Metropolitan Police Department report filed this week, Norton was targeted by a group posing as a cleaning crew.
She allowed them into her D.C. home, they then fraudulently charged her credit card about $4,400 for services they didn’t perform.
The report explicitly says that Norton is in the “early stages of dementia” and relies on a full-time caretaker who holds power of attorney, raising red flags about her personal security and decision-making capacity.
This is the third reported scam attempt against her this year, with authorities describing the latest as a “takeover” fraud where the suspects exploited her condition to gain access and billing information.
Despite all of this Norton shows no signs of stepping aside.
She filed for re-election in early 2025, and wants to extend her time in congress to a 19th term.
Norton’s case is bringing up the topic of term limits and mandatory health disclosures to protect public trust and taxpayer resources
Some of the oldest serving members of congress are:
Chuck Grassley (R-IA) 92 years old, 50 years in Congress, estimated net worth $4 million
Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA) 88 years old, 26 years in Congress, estimated net worth $800,000
Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-NJ) 88 years old, 28 years in Congress, estimated net worth $6.4 million
Hal Rogers (R-KY) 87 years old, 44 years in Congress, estimated net worth $2.2 million
Maxine Waters (D-CA) 87 years old, 34 years in Congress, estimated net worth $3.2 million
Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) 86 years old, 44 years in Congress, estimated net worth $3 million
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) 85 years old, 38 years in Congress, estimated net worth $124 million
James E. Clyburn (D-SC) 85 years old, 32 years in Congress, estimated net worth $1.8 million
