Early on Wednesday morning, representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA) died of esophageal cancer. Connolly’s family released a statement saying, “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.”
Connolly disclosed his cancer diagnosis in November of 2024 and has been on leave since April 28th due to the cancer’s increased severity. He was recently nominated to be the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee making him one of the highest ranking members of congress.
Connolly began his political career in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, representing the Providence district from 1995 to 2009. He served as chairman of the Board of Supervisors for 6 years until he ran for congress in 2008.
Connolly represented Virginia’s 11th congressional district for 16 years until his passing. The district’s boundaries have changed several times during his career, but it has always generally contained pieces of western Fairfax and Prince William counties.
As a representative, Connolly was a very skilled legislator working with members of all political parties to get legislation passed. During the 117th congress, the Center for Effective Law making ranked him as the most effective legislator. This effectiveness earned Connolly appointments to many important committees such as budget, foreign affairs, and oversight where he has served as chairman for the past 4 months.
Connolly was also known as a fighter for social justice issues such as LGBTQ rights and abortion. He campaigned heavily against Virginia’s Marshall-Newman Amendment which prevented same-sex unions from being recognized in the state, and voted against bills that would’ve eliminated taxpayer funding for planned parenthood. He was also an early supporter of the Affordable Care Act and has continued to push for further healthcare reform such as a public option and medicaid expansion.
These social justice campaigns have gained him many supporters not only in his district, but across the state as well. His death has saddened many in the West Po community such as senior Jeremy Worth, “My family used to live in his district and my parents really liked him. He was a really good guy and a good congressman. His death is really sad because I think congress needs more people like Gerry Connolly.”
