Rep. Jennifer Wexton. Photo: Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images.
Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) announced Monday she will not seek a fourth term in 2024 after being diagnosed with a rare and debilitating neurological disorder.
Driving the news: "Taking into consideration the prognosis for my health over the coming years, I have made the decision not to seek reelection once my term is complete," Wexton said in a statement.
The backdrop: Wexton, who was first elected in 2018, announced in April that she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease but said at the time that she would continue her work in Congress.
- "What Parkinson's is not is an untreatable disease, a cognitive impairment, or a death sentence," she said. "I hope to keep serving you for many years to come."
The latest: In a statement on Monday, Wexton said that she "noticed the women in my Parkinson's support group weren't having the same experience," and was then diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy.
- The disease, often mistaken for Parkinson's, is "a kind of 'Parkinson's on steroids,'" she said, adding: "There is no 'getting better' with PSP."
- Wexton said she is seeking treatment to manage her symptoms and will serve out her current term.