Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly died on Wednesday, according to a statement from his family. He was 75 years old.
The northern Virginia representative stepped down from the House Oversight Committee’s ranking member position in April amid a battle with throat cancer.
“It is with immense sadness that we share that our devoted and loving father, husband, brother, friend, and public servant, Congressman Gerald E. Connolly, passed away peacefully at his home this morning surrounded by family,” read a statement from the Democrat’s family.
“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. He was a skilled statesman on the international stage, an accomplished legislator in Congress, a visionary executive on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, a fierce defender of democracy, an environmental champion, and a mentor to so many,” the statement continued.
He was a longtime figure in Virginia politics and was rated one of the most effective members of Congress in terms of the total impact he had on legislation that made its way through the chamber. A staunch liberal, Connolly was a reliable party-line vote for Democrats.
The congressman revealed his diagnosis in November. He would go on to win a fraught political battle for the top Democratic position on the powerful Oversight panel, the main vessel for congressional investigations in the House of Representatives.
Despite concerns about his health, he was selected by his colleagues over New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the party’s younger rising stars. At the time, Connolly’s colleagues assured his critics that he would be an effective leader of the panel.
In April, when he stepped down from that role after just three months, Connolly said that he would also not seek reelection. Before joining Congress, he served in local government for more than a decade. He steered the redevelopment of Tyson’s Corner during that time, and after joining Congress saw the DC Metro’s Silver Line constructed and extended to Dulles airport and Tyson’s, realizing a long-held transit dream for Capitol-area residents.
“When I announced my diagnosis six months ago, I promised transparency. After grueling treatments, we’ve learned that the cancer, while initially beaten back, has now returned. I’ll do everything possible to continue to represent you and thank you for your grace,” Connolly had said in April.
Connolly was born in Boston and attended Harvard, where he received a masters from the school of public policy. He would go on to serve his first stint in government before ever being elected to Congress when he joined the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as a staffer, then going on to lead a nonprofit. In 1995, he was elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
In Congress, he had a hand in fighting against anti-LGBT legislation including the Defense of Marriage Act and the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. During the 2009-2010 debate on health care reform, he was an early supporter of a public health insurance option and eventually voted for the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. He also supported both impeachments of President Donald Trump.
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