Rep. Gerry Connolly has died after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 75 years old.
Connolly, a Virginia Democrat, was still serving in Congress but had stepped down as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee late last month, The Associated Press reported.
He also said he would not seek reelection.
“The sun is setting on my time in public service,” Connolly said in a statement. “With no rancor and a full heart, I move into this final chapter full of pride in what we’ve accomplished together over 30 years.”
His staff director, Jamie Smith, confirmed Connolly died at his home on May 21 after he had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer, the day after his November reelection, The Washington Post reported. He was serving his ninth term in Congress after being first elected in 2008.
A Democrat, Connolly flipped a Republican-held seat by nearly 42,000 votes in his first Congressional run, the AP reported. During his victory speech, he vowed to use his position to make sure the federal bureaucracy would be “a responsive, accountable instrument for the people we serve,” the AP reported.
“If we insist the government must work for all of our citizens again, we cannot fail,” he added at the time.
Connolly’s family posted to his official X account about his death, saying, “Gerry lived his life to give back to others and make our community better. He looked out for the disadvantaged and voiceless. He always stood up for what is right and just.”
— Rep. Gerry Connolly (@GerryConnolly) May 21, 2025
Connolly got his start in politics about 30 years ago when he won a seat as Fairfax County supervisor in the Washington, D.C., suburbs in 1995, Fox News reported.
He helped shift an area that had been a swing district and making it a Democratic stronghold. At the same time as a member of the oversight committee, his group was, as The Washington Post wrote, "tasked with keeping federal government power in check by investigating and exposing waste, fraud and abuse."
Connolly became the ranking Democratic member of the committee on his third attempt at the position, defeating Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“My colleagues were measuring their votes by who has got experience, who is seasoned, who can be trusted, who has a record of productivity,” Mr. Connolly told The New York Times in December “That prevailed.”
© 2025 Cox Media Group
