Jahi Siquendieu/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Democratic Representative Jennifer Wexton of Virginia prepares to vote at Loudoun County High School in Leesburg, Virginia on November 8, 2022.
CNN
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Democratic Representative Jennifer Wexton of Virginia announced Monday morning that she is ending her term in Congress, but will not seek re-election, citing health concerns.
Wexton was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease a few months ago. But his statement was on Monday His doctor “changed my diagnosis to supra-nuclear palsy – a sort of ‘Parkinson’s on steroids'”.
“I am heartbroken to have to give up something I love after so many years of service to my community,” he said. “But given the prognosis for my health in the coming years, I have decided not to seek re-election at the end of my term and instead spend my precious time with Andrew, our boys and my friends and loved ones.”
Wexton was first elected to her Northern Virginia congressional district in 2018, when she was part of a freshman class that helped Democrats regain control of the House. In that 2018 election, Wexton turned his district blue when he defeated then-GOP Rep. Barbara Comstock. Wexton is a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees.
Before being elected to Congress, Wexton was a member of the Virginia State Senate, a judge and an assistant commonwealth’s attorney.
Wexton won re-election in 2022 by 6.4 percentage points, and in 2020 Biden would have carried the congressional district by 18 percentage points. However, without an incumbent, the district will be very competitive in 2024. Virginia’s 10th Congressional District spans parts of western DC. Suburbs through Leesburg and Loudoun County and southern Fauquier County. The district also includes a small portion of Fairfax County in northern Virginia.
This story has been updated with additional updates.
