WASHINGTON — Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee known for his vocal advocacy of federal workers and his frequent clashes with Republicans during televised hearings, died Wednesday morning, his family said. He was 75.
He died less than a year after he won a competitive race to become the ranking member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, one of the key panels that are charged with keeping a check on the executive branch. He announced last month that his esophageal cancer had returned despite “grueling treatments” and said he would not run for re-election next year.
“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,” his family said in a statement announcing his death.
“But more important than his accomplishments in elected office, Gerry lived by the ethos of ‘bloom where you are planted.’ From the Silver Line to the Oakton Library, Mosaic District to the Cross County Trail and beyond, his legacy now colors our region.”
Connolly is the third House Democrat to have died in office during the past three months. Sylvester Turner of Texas suddenly died on March 5, shortly after he attended President Donald Trump’s address to Congress. And longtime Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona died on March 13 after his own cancer diagnosis.
Connolly’s death means Republicans now hold a 220-212 majority in the House.
Before he won elected office, Connolly was a Democratic staffer on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, including for one of its members, then-Sen. Joe Biden, of Delaware. In 1995, Connolly won a seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in Virginia, just outside Washington, and served for 14 years, including the last five as chairman.
When GOP Rep. Tom Davis announced he would not run for re-election in 2008, Connolly jumped into the race to succeed him. He cruised to victory in his primary and then easily defeated his GOP opponent.
He won re-election eight times in Virginia’s 11th District, which is in the affluent suburbs outside the nation’s capital and includes Fairfax County. Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, will need to call a special election to fill the vacant, deep-blue House seat, according to state law.
After the 2024 election, when Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., announced he would step down as the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee to run for the ranking member job on the Judiciary Committee, Connolly threw his hat in the ring.
He faced an insurgent challenge from progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., 35. With the backing of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the former House speaker, he defeated Ocasio-Cortez in a closely watched 131-84 vote.
Doctors had aggressively tried to treat Connolly’s cancer, but last month he said that it had returned and that he would step away from day-to-day duties leading Oversight Committee Democrats.
He asked a senior member of the panel, Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., to step into the role on an interim basis and endorsed him to replace him.
Democrats will now need to fill the Oversight Committee job in the coming weeks. In addition to Lynch, Reps. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, and Robert Garcia, D-Calif., are among those who have been reaching out to colleagues about running for ranking member.
In a statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., remembered Connolly for his oversight work, foreign policy expertise — including serving twice as president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly — defense of federal workers and wit.
“Even as he battled a difficult cancer diagnosis, Ranking Member Connolly continued to push back against the unprecedented attacks on the federal workers in his district and across the country,” Jeffries said. “In addition to his legislative wisdom, Gerry always brought his signature mirth and wit to the House, making even something like proxy voting a point of levity during an otherwise challenging time in our nation.”
Ryan Nobles and Kyle Stewart contributed.
