Rep. Frederica Wilson, an 83-year-old Florida Democrat, won’t seek re-election

CongressRep. Frederica Wilson, an 83-year-old Florida Democrat, won’t seek re-electionWilson, a former public school teacher and principal known in Congress for her colorful outfits, had repeatedly clashed with President Donald Trump.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., pictured at the Capitol in 2023, missed several weeks of votes this spring.Matt McClain / The Washington Post via Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 29, 2026, 10:54 AM EDTBy Scott WongWASHINGTON — Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., a former teacher and principal known in Congress for her colorful outfits and matching hats, said in an interview with the Miami Herald she will not seek re-election this fall.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.She is expected to make a formal announcement Friday at a ceremony, where a street in the Miami area is being named in her honor. The street is next to a school that is also named after her.At 83, Wilson had been part of a cadre of senior lawmakers in their 80s and 90s who had said they were running for another term in 2026 — defying voters who are clamoring for generational change among the nation’s leaders.But Wilson recently underwent eye surgery and had missed a month’s worth of votes this spring as she recovered. In the GOP’s redistricting push this month, her Miami congressional district lost its coastal areas but remained deep blue, meaning she almost certainly would have been re-elected to a ninth term.The filing deadline to run in the Aug. 18 primary to replace her is just a few weeks away, on June 12.Wilson, then a congresswoman-elect, arrives on Capitol Hill for new member orientation on Nov. 15, 2010.Alex Wong / Getty Images fileA young activist during the Civil Rights Movement, Wilson heard the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. give a “rousing speech” when she was a student at Fisk University, and she went on to pursue a career in education....