2026 United States House of Representatives election in the District of Columbia
November 3, 2026
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The 2026 United States House of Representatives election in the District of Columbia will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a non-voting delegate to represent the District of Columbia in the United States House of Representatives. The primary election will be held on June 16.[1]
Democratic primary
Incumbent delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton stated that she was running for re-election in June 2025, however her staff denied that a final decision had been made.[2] Her office has had to walk back several statements that she has made to reporters as well.[3] She officially announced her re-election bid on September 4, 2025, and her staff stated that they had nothing to add.[4]
Norton faced calls to retire from figures like Representative Jamie Raskin and Norton's former chief of staff (and later Democratic National Committee member) Donna Brazile.[5] In October 2025, Norton was the victim of fraud, and the ensuing police report stated she suffered from "early stages of dementia" and that a caretaker held power of attorney over her.[6] Eventually, Norton terminated her re-election campaign on January 25, 2026.[7]
Candidates
Declared
- Deirdre Brown, former Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) Commissioner[8]
- Gordon Chaffin, former congressional staffer[8]
- Greg Maye, candidate for this seat in 2022[9]
- Brooke Pinto, councilmember from Ward 2 (2020–present)[10]
- Trent Holbrook, former senior legislative counsel for Norton[11]
- Robert White, at-large councilmember (2016–present) and candidate for mayor in 2022[12]
- Kelly Mikel Williams, podcast host and candidate for this seat in 2022 and 2024[9]
- Kinney Zalesne, deputy national finance chair of the Democratic National Committee and former counsel at the Department of Justice[13]
- Vincent Morris, former spokesperson to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and former mayor Tony Williams[14]
- Sandi Stevens[15]
- Robert Matthews, director of the District of Columbia Child and Family Services Agency[16]
Withdrawn
- Jacque Patterson, president of the District of Columbia State Board of Education[17] (running for council)[18]
- Eleanor Holmes Norton, incumbent delegate[7]
Endorsements
Kinney Zalesne
- Party officials
- Jaime Harrison, former chair of the Democratic National Committee (2021–2025)[19]
Robert White
- Political parties
Brooke Pinto
- Local officials
- Mary Cheh, former councilmember from the 3rd ward (2007–2023)[21]
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of January 31, 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand | |
| Brooke Pinto (D) | $843,496 | $234,628 | $608,868 | |
| Gordon Chaffin (D) | $17,951 | $15,248 | $2,703 | |
| Kelly Mikel Williams (D) | $3,094 | $1,650 | $1,440 | |
| Robert White (D) | $230,399 | $7,580 | $151,819 | |
| Kinney Zalesne (D) | $593,885 | $148,693 | $445,192 | |
| Robert Matthews (D) | $49,078 | $431 | $48,647 | |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[22] | ||||
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Robert White |
Brooke Pinto |
Kinney Zalesne |
Eleanor Holmes-Norton |
Jacque Patterson |
Deirdre Brown |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Research Partners (D)[23][A] | November 22–24, 2025 | 400 (LV) | ± 4.9% | 29% | 14% | 1% | 16% | 1% | 2% | 5%[b] | 31% |
Statehood Green primary
Candidates
Declared
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Nelson Rimensnyder, perennial candidate[17]
Filed paperwork
- Gavin Solomon, businessman from New York[24]
Independents
Candidates
Potential
- Christina Henderson, at-large council member (2021–present)[8]
See also
Notes
- Partisan clients
- ^ Poll sponsored by White's campaign
References
- ^ "United States House of Representatives election in the District of Columbia, 2026". Ballotpedia. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
- ^ Solender, Andrew; Dil, Cuneyt. ""She's missing stuff": Norton's colleagues see signs of decline". Axios. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
- ^ Schaffer, Michael (July 7, 2025). "An Elderly Lawmaker's Staff Keeps Walking Back Things She Tells Reporters. Should They Keep Quoting Her?". Politico. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
- ^ Solender, Andrew (September 4, 2025). "Democrats' oldest lawmakers aren't going away without a fight". Axios. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ^ Uribe, Raquel Coronell (September 15, 2025). "D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, age 88, faces a high-profile call to retire". NBC News. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
- ^ Segraves, Mark; More, Maggie (October 24, 2025). "Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton scammed at home by group claiming to be cleaning crew". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ^ a b Wu, Nicholas (January 25, 2026). "Eleanor Holmes Norton won't seek reelection as DC delegate". POLITICO. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
- ^ a b c d Collins, Sam P. K. (September 23, 2025). "Amid Federal Intrusion, Field of Norton Challengers Expands". The Washington Informer. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
- ^ a b Gathright, Jenny; Flynn, Meagan (September 18, 2025). "D.C. Council's Robert White to run for House seat held by Norton". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ Morris, Diane. "DC Council's Brooke Pinto running for Del. Norton's congressional seat". WTOP-TV. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
- ^ Vakil, Caroline (January 6, 2026). "Former senior aide to Holmes Norton launches bid for her seat". The Hill. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- ^ Wu, Nicholas; Fuchs, Hailey (September 18, 2025). "Eleanor Holmes Norton is facing her most serious political threat in decades". Politico. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ^ Doran, Katie. "A DNC Official Will Run for Eleanor Holmes Norton's Seat". Washingtonian. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
- ^ Flynn, Meagan; George, Olivia. "Eleanor Holmes Norton ends House reelection campaign". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
- ^ Collins Jr., Sam Plo Kwia. "As Longtime Del. Norton Retires, the Fight for D.C.'s Scattered Continues". The Washington Informer. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ "MATTHEWS, ROBERT". Federal Election Commission.
- ^ a b Doran, Katie (July 31, 2025). "Who Will Run for Eleanor Holmes Norton's Seat? A Guide to the Candidates and Rumors". Washingtonian. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
- ^ Alex Koma [@AlexKomaDC] (January 23, 2026). "Some special election news: SBOE Pres. Jacque Patterson tells me he's dropping out of the delegate race and switching over to the independent at-large contest" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ^ McIntire, Mary Ellen; Lesniewski, Niels; Altimari, Daniela (October 30, 2025). "At the Races: When the pain hits home". Roll Call. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
- ^ "Working Families Party Endorsed Janeese Lewis George for Mayor and Robert White for Congress in Washington, D.C." Working Families Party. January 20, 2026. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ Heller, Nina (January 27, 2026). "Crowded race to succeed Norton includes two of her former staffers". Roll Call. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
- ^ "2026 Election United States House - District of Columbia - District 00". FEC.gov. Federal Election Commission. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
- ^ "robert-white-poll-norton-dc-delegate" (PDF). Lake Research Partners. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
- ^ "FEC Form 2 for Report FEC-1912857". docquery.fec.gov. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
External links
Official campaign websites