Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) will not seek reelection in 2024 after her doctors diagnosed her with what she described as “Parkinson’s on steroids.”
Wexton, 55, has been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy after announcing she had Parkinson’s disease earlier this year. The two diagnoses are often mistaken for each other.
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According to a statement from the congresswoman, “My doctors modified my diagnosis to Progressive Supra-nuclear Palsy — a kind of ‘Parkinson’s on steroids.'”
She explained, “There is no ‘getting better’ with PSP. I’ll continue treatment options to manage my symptoms, but they don’t work as well with my condition as they do for Parkinson’s.”
An update on my health and my plans for serving #VA10 in Congress. pic.twitter.com/815hxhtRBv
— Rep. Jennifer Wexton (@RepWexton) September 18, 2023
After being diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, patients typically live between five and seven more years.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Wexton recalled asking her doctor if she could seek reelection. “Why would you want to?” her doctor responded.
Progressive supranuclear palsy is known to progress much more rapidly than Parkinson’s. It also does not respond to treatment in the same fashion. Both conditions do not have cures.
Due to the changed diagnosis, the congresswoman said she wouldn’t be seeking another term in Congress.
“People I know know I’ve struggled for a long time,” she said in the interview. “I’ll be able to relax and enjoy the time I have left and the time I have left in Congress.”
Her new condition had been figured out in June, but she moved forward with therapies with the hope that she might be able to run again.
“But what became clear was that not only would I not be able to handle the rigors of campaigning in a tough district (hours of daily call time! Campaign rallies! Trackers and attack ads!), even if I could, it may have literally killed me,” she said.
“And my life is definitely too short for that!” Wexton added.
During the interview, she expressed to her chief of staff, Abigail Carter, “It’s not OK. It’s not OK at all. … I’m going to die, which isn’t fair.”
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Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in a statement following the announcement, “The entire House Democratic Caucus family is keeping Jennifer and her family in our prayers as she courageously takes on this next chapter and continues to use her platform to raise awareness of neurological disease. Jennifer’s strength is an inspiration to us all and we look forward to partnering with her throughout the balance of the 118th Congress and beyond to support the millions of families confronting this diagnosis and to advance efforts to find a cure.”
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), a fellow member of Virginia’s delegation, posted a tribute to Wexton, saying, “When I think of Jennifer Wexton, I think of this photo of her, as Wonder Woman on Halloween in 2018. She is an amazing public servant, listener, and fighter for her constituents. I will miss her terribly in Congress and I’ll be keeping her in my prayers.”
