Longtime Democratic strategist Donna Brazile on Tuesday called on congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), 88, to retire at the end of her term, adding that under the second Trump administration Washington, D.C., “is under attack as at no other time in recent history, and we need a new champion to defend us.”

In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Brazile, who once served as Norton’s campaign manager and congressional chief of staff, described Norton as a “dear friend of 44 years” and a “second mother” to her before noting that it’s time for her to pass the baton onto the next generation.

“She is no longer the dynamo she once was, at a time when D.C. needs the kind of energetic representation in Congress she provided for decades,” Brazile wrote of the nonvoting D.C. delegate. “It’s in her best interest, and the interest of D.C., for her to serve her current term but then end her extraordinary service in Congress and not seek reelection next year.”

Brazile, a former interim chair of the DNC, said that if Norton followed her advice and declared her intention to step down from her position next year, that would set the stage for a competitive race to succeed her.

“D.C. is under attack as at no other time in recent history, and we need a new champion to defend us,” Brazile said. “President Donald Trump is treating the District like a colonial possession he can rule as a dictator, rather than a city governed by leaders who are elected by voters.”

Norton has previously said she intends to pursue another term in office, only to have her staff walk back her statement on two separate occasions, according to NBC News. Earlier this month, though, she told Axios she would “of course” seek reelection. This time, her staff did not oppose her statement.

“I say that my seniority is what is very important, and I am not going to step aside,” Norton told the outlet.

In her editorial for the Post, Brazile cited the example of other longtime congressional lawmakers who have announced they are retiring next year, including Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), among others.

“All these lawmakers, as well as former President Joe Biden, are younger than Norton,” Brazile said.

Biden, who originally sought to pursue reelection in 2024, succumbed to pressure to withdraw from the presidential race after his poor performance in a debate against Trump prompted concerns about his age and fitness to serve another four-year term, fueling a wider debate about age within the Democratic Party.

Read the full editorial at The Washington Post here.