Jennifer Wexton Doesn’t Want To Seek Reelection After Recent Diagnosis

Jennifer Wexton

Representative Jennifer Wexton, the Democratic candidate from Virginia, who recently flipped a seat held by the GOP in the anti-Trump Democratic wave back in the midterms of 2018, stated that she would not be seeking reelection in 2024 because she has since then learned that her health issues have worsened. In April, the 55-year-old politician had announced that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which- she believed- severely impacted her balance, speech, and mouth movement. On Monday, she said that her diagnosis had changed to progressive supranuclear palsy- which is a rare condition that has been described as Parkinson’s on steroids.

Jennifer Wexton Has Decided To Retire From Politics

In a lengthy statement, Wexton stated that she had always believed that honesty was singularly the most important value in public service- so she wanted to be honest with everyone around- that the diagnosis was indeed quite a tough one. As it stands, there is no current treatment for PSP, and patients who contract it don’t get better. Nevertheless, she would still continue along with her earlier treatment options in order to manage her symptoms. She continued by stating that she was quite heartbroken to give up something that she had loved for so long- serving her community.

Needless to say, Jennifer Wexton’s retirement will definitely open up a battleground seat in the northern region of Virginia– wherein the district also includes wealthy suburbs and exurbs outside Washington DC. But the region has been going pretty blue in recent elections- with Wexton herself defeating opponent Hung Cao by just 6.5% points. As it is well known, Wexton has been quite a focal point when it comes to politics in Virginia, especially after her win in 2018 over the incumbent Rep. Barbara Comstock.