Back in September 2023, Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA10) announced the tragic news that she’s afflicted with a “modified diagnosis of Progressive Supra-nuclear Palsy, type-p,” and that she would “serve the remainder of her term in the 118th Congress and not seek reelection.” Since then, she’s carried on with courage, determination, grit and every other positive adjective you can come up with. Inspiring.
But now, sadly, the time has come to say farewell, so this morning, Rep. Wexton delivered her farewell speech to the U.S. House. See below for video, during which she talked about how Barack Obama back in 2008 inspired her to get involved with politics; ran for the VA State Senate and got important legislation passed there; stood up for transgender people, Muslim Americans, Uyghurs, the civil service, etc.; supported cancer research and survivors of domestic abuse; served through the longest government shutdown in history, two impeachments, a pandemic and an insurrection; was diagnosed with PSP and decided not to run for reelection, while pushing for more research into curing diseases like Parkinsons and related conditions like PSP; thanked her family, “Team Wexton” and her constituents, etc. She concluded by stating that she hopes “the most impactful legacy I can leave is in the power of perservance and persistence and in the belief that change is possible through public service and that change is coming if we’re willing to work for it.”
So with those inspiring words, good luck to Rep. Wexton, whose career in the US House was short (she was first elected in the “blue wave” of November 2018, along with Abigail Spanberger and Elaine Luria here in Virginia) but highly productive. She will be greatly missed!
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