Missing 83-year-old Democrat quits Congress after mysterious absence

By CHASE HOPE, INTERN FOR THE DAILY MAIL Published: 20:19, 29 May 2026 | Updated: 20:25, 29 May 2026 Frederica Wilson, a 83-year-old congresswoman from Florida, announced Friday that she is not running for re-election. The House Democrat was absent from Congress from April 20 to May 20 while she recovered from an eye procedure, missing 57 roll call votes, per GovTrack. During her absence, Wilson's social media team reused pictures from last fall in an apparent effort to make it appear that she was still actively talking to constituents. She deliberately withheld her retirement announcement with an eye toward protecting her district from the Florida GOP's redistricting efforts, she told the Miami Herald on Thursday. Wilson had previously denied reports suggesting she was about to retire, telling Axios last week, 'It's a crazy rumor.' Wilson's mysterious absence from Congress sparked concern among her colleagues and the public.  She was missing from votes at the same time as Tom Kean Jr, a New Jersey Republican, who has skipped out on 104 consecutive roll call votes between March 17 and May 21, according to GovTrack. Kean last voted on March 5. His absence has been attributed to a medical issue, but GOP leaders have said they still have little idea of the specifics of the situation or when Kean might return. House Representative Frederica Wilson is retiring at the end of her term, she announced on Friday Wilson's mysterious absence from Congress sparked concern among her colleagues and the public House Representative Tom Kean has also been missing from Congress for unexplained reasons Kean's absence has sparked fear among Republicans on Capitol Hill that his already-competitive seat will be vulnerable this November. With the House having such a tight margin - 217 Republicans to 212 Democrats - with control at 218, every vote matters.  Though she is leaving Congress, Wilson said she plans to remain active in public life.  Wilson was well-known on Capitol Hill for her brightly colored outfits, complete with matching hats. The former school principal made headlines in 2017 for a public clash with President Donald Trump. She accused him of making an insensitive remark to the widow of a U.S. Special Forces soldier killed in action in Niger. Trump denied Wilson's account of events, but the widow's mother later confirmed the Florida Congresswoman's story to multiple news outlets. During her absence, Wilson's social media team reused pictures from last fall in an apparent effort to make it appear that she was still actively talking to constituents Now that Wilson has stepped down, her would-be replacements have until June 12 to file for the August 18 primary election. Florida state senator Shevrin Jones, a Democrat, said in a video posted to social media Wednesday that he would not be running for his old seat and hinted at 'another chapter.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.