Photo by lightboxdc.

D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton ceremonially kicked off her re-election campaign during a speech over the weekend, reports The Hoya. (The Georgetown newspaper dubs the story an “Online Exclusive”; we would have gone with the subhed of “Duh.”)

At an event at Busboys and Poets, Norton summarized her platform for what may be a 12th term in office.

“I am running for D.C. jobs and D.C. statehood,” she said. “I am running to tell … the Republican Party [to not] even try to … take the home rule we have, because we’re coming after the statehood we deserve.”

Norton also boasted of her bill which offers a tax credit to D.C. homebuyers and stuck with her regular talking points on autonomy and Democratic Party unity in the upcoming 2012 elections.

Norton, who has served as the District’s non-voting Delegate since 1991, will be challenged for her seat in the November general election by Natale Stracuzzi (Statehood Green) and Nancy Farolina (Republican). Both will face an uphill battle — Norton has not received less than 88 percent of the vote in any election she’s run in over the past 17 years.