(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, who most recently held a prominent position as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, died on Wednesday at the age of 75.
He died at home in the company of family members, his family said in a statement. His death leaves House Republicans with a 220-212 majority.
Connolly announced last month that he’d retire at the end of his term, after revealing late last year that he had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and would undergo chemotherapy and immunotherapy. He said that after “grueling treatments,” he learned that the cancer has returned.
Concerns about Connolly’s health were a factor late last year as he ran for the top ranking position on Oversight, one of the most prominent committees in Congress.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., ran against Connolly for the job but was defeated as the majority of Democrats opted to stick with the seniority system. Connolly has served on the Oversight Committee for more than 16 years.
He is the latest high-profile Democrat to die in office.
Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., passed away last month—making him the second Democrat to die in office in as many weeks. Grijalva died of complications from cancer treatment, his office said in a statement. The treatments had sidelined him from Congress in recent months.
He stepped down as the top Democrat on the Natural Resources committee earlier this year, after announcing that he planned to retire rather than run for reelection in 2026.
Another Democratic House member, Rep. Sylvester Turner of Texas, died a week before Grijalva from health issues.
Turner, in turn, had replaced U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who died last July after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
