DC Democrat challenges long-serving House delegate amid age concerns

Council member Robert White says we need our strongest fighters' as he bids to take on Eleanor Holmes Norton, 88

Washington DC's long-serving delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is under renewed pressure to step down after a city council member announced on Thursday he would challenge her in next year's election, saying the federal district needs its strongest fighters" as it faces unprecedented interference from Donald Trump and the Republican party.

Robert White's decision to jump into the race for the non-voting role in the House of Representatives comes amid mounting concern over the 88-year-old Norton's ability to continue doing the job at a tense moment for the city. Trump in August ordered a temporary federal takeover of the Washington DC police department and dispatched national guard and federal agents onto its streets to fight what he called an out-of-control" crime wave, a claim city leaders disputed.