When DC for Democracy, a far-left-leaning local political advocacy group, held a virtual forum earlier this year, candidates for DC delegate repeatedly used the words “fight” and “statehood.” Were they simply tapping into a key policy pillar of the sponsoring organization whose endorsement they hoped to win? Or were they channeling incumbent Eleanor Holmes Norton, who has been called the “warrior on the Hill” and has announced plans to retire at the end of her term this year?

Norton helped lead two unprecedented winning votes for DC statehood in the House of Representatives when it was under Democratic Party leadership: 232-180 in 2020, and 216-208 in 2021. The Senate has never approved any DC statehood bill. Since those votes, there has been no measurable progress toward full representation and political independence for the District — and substantial reversals and setbacks under GOP control.

The quest to be the 51st state has often been comparable to hunting the rainbow-colored unicorn or being aboard Odysseus’ forever voyage home. It unfortunately also has fueled a misperception that the primary role of the delegate is achieving statehood.

The job is “more than statehood,” explained Julius Hobson Jr., who has been a key observer and player in DC politics, beginning as a child when his father co-founded the Statehood Party, later as an elected member of the DC Board of Education, and later still as a senior member of Mayor Marion Barry’s administration.

Can this year’s election shape a new path for the DC delegate?

To date, nearly two dozen candidates have filed paperwork with either the DC Board of Elections or the Federal Election Commission to fill Norton’