Representative Jennifer Wexton Announces She Will Not Seek Reelection due to Rare Neurological Disorder

Representative Jennifer Wexton (D., Va.) said Monday she will not seek reelection next year after being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder that she described as “Parkinson’s on steroids.”

“I’m heartbroken to have to give up something I have loved after so many years of serving my community,” she said in a statement sharing that she had been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy.

“While my time in Congress will soon come to a close, I’m just as confident and committed as ever to keep up the work that got me into this fight in the first place for my remaining time in office — to help build the future we want for our children,” the 54-year-old congresswoman said.

Wexton has represented Virginia’s tenth congressional district since 2018, when she ousted two-term Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock.

The announcement comes after Wexton first revealed in April that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

“I’m doing well, and I want to bring about as much good from this diagnosis as I can — including here in Congress,” Wexton wrote in a post on X at the time, insisting that the diagnosis would not prevent her from living her life or serving in Congress.

She said Monday that she received her new diagnosis after getting other medical opinions and undergoing additional testing, in part because she noticed that other members of her Parkinson’s support group weren’t having the same experience she was.

She said there is “no ‘getting better'” with her new diagnosis and that she plans to “continue treatment options” but that the therapies “don’t work as well” for progressive supranuclear palsy as they would for Parkinson’s.

Wexton represents a wealthy, competitive district in Virginia. Her decision not to seek reelection is likely to set off a competitive race for the seat as Republicans look to grow their slim majority in the House in 2024.