“Sometimes, history calls us to a different path, and this is one of those times,” White said in his announcement video. “This year, our city has been attacked relentlessly: our money stolen, our communities threatened, our children afraid, and no end in sight. I wonder if we can’t turn back this tide, we won’t even have elected officials to vote for in D.C.”

The race is set to be one of the strongest primary challenges Norton has faced in over three decades. Others who have committed to running against Norton include D.C. State Board of Education President Jacque Patterson, former DNC official Kinney Zalesne, and D.C. Statehood Green Party candidate Kymone Freeman.

White, a former legislative counsel to Norton, thanked her for her years of commitment to representing the district. 

“For so many decades, we have been protected by our lion on the Hill, congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, someone whose work inspired me so much that I threw aside my own legal career to work under her,” White said, adding, “I’m ready to take this torch.”

TRUMP’S TAKEOVER OF DC POLICE RENEWS 51ST STATE DEBATE

As delegates in the House, members from D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and other territories can vote on measures in committee and draft bills but not for legislation on the floor. Norton has been on the House Oversight Committee, which partly oversees the district’s governance, for years.

Norton is the oldest member of the House. Her office has been giving mixed messages about whether she is seeking reelection. The delegate appeared shaky after a press conference last week, and Donna Brazile, the former Democratic National Committee interim chairwoman and campaign manager for Norton in 1990, called for her not to seek reelection.

“As I’ve told her in person, retirement from Congress is the right next chapter for her — and for the District,” Brazile wrote in an op-ed this week.