Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Democrat from Virginia, died Wednesday morning at 75.
He “passed away peacefully at his home this morning surrounded by family,” Connolly’s family said in a statement.
In November, Connolly announced he’d been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and would take part in chemotherapy and immunotherapy. In April, he announced he would step back from his role as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee and would not run for reelection because the cancer, “while initially beaten back, has now returned.”
“The sun is setting on my time in public service, and this will be my last term in Congress,” he said in a statement.
He endorsed former chief of staff James Walkinshaw in the race to succeed him.
Connolly was elected to the top Democratic spot on the House Oversight Committee in December, defeating Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) in an internal election by a vote of 131-84.
Tributes poured in from colleagues from both sides of the aisle.
Connolly “met every challenge with tenacity and purpose, including his final battle with cancer, which he faced with courage, grace, and quiet dignity,” said Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.).
Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.) shared that it was “crushingly sad to learn” of Connolly’s passing, describing his fellow Democrat as a “fierce champion of federal workers, public integrity and the people of Virginia (though he never surrendered his hearty south Boston accent).”
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) called Connolly’s death “a personal loss to me.”
“He was a good and decent man,” McCaul added. “He always conducted himself as a statesman in the finest tradition in the Halls of Congress and in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.”
Walkinshaw, a Fairfax County supervisor who worked with Connolly for years, said the congressman was “one of the most formative figures in my life.”
“Because of him, I am a better husband, father, and public servant. I will carry his wisdom — and his fierce love for this community — with me for the rest of my life,” he said in a statement. “We’ve lost a giant.”
Connolly represented Virginia’s 11th District, in the Washington suburbs, since 2009. Before that, he served on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for 14 years.
“We were fortunate to share Gerry with Northern Virginia for nearly 40 years because that was his joy, his purpose, and his passion,” Connolly’s family said Wednesday.
Connolly is the third Democratic member of Congress to have died since January, following the passing of Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (Ariz.) and Sylvester Turner (Texas).
