U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly Dies at 75
The Virginia Democrat passed away a month after the resurgence of cancer.
This morning, U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly of Virginia passed away at the age of 75. His family announced the news in a statement. The Congressman’s death came amidst an ongoing battle with esophageal cancer. Health issues resulted in him stepping down as the top Democrat on House Oversight Committee last month.
Connolly becomes the third member of the U.S. House of Representatives to die during the 119th Congress so far - all of whom have been Democrats in their seventies. He joins Raúl Grijalva of Arizona and Sylvester Turner of Texas. Connolly previously announced he wouldn’t run for re-election in 2026.
Connolly served Virginia’s 11th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since January 2009. The district covers suburban Washington, D.C. - including the independent city of Fairfax and parts of Fairfax County.
From 1979 to 1989, Connolly worked as a staffer on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. From 1989 to 1997, he was Vice President of the Washington Office of SRI International and Director of Community Relations for SAIC.
In 1995, Connolly was elected for the first time in a special election. He ultimately represented the Providence district on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from March 1995 to December 2003. He then won a promotion to Chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors - serving from December 2003 to January 2009.
In 2008, Connolly was the Democratic nominee for the 11th District after seven-term Republican incumbent Tom Davis retired. He flipped control of the district 54.7-43.1 against Republican Keith Fimian. In 2010, he prevailed by a narrow 49.2-48.8 plurality in a rematch with Fimian. Redistricting made the seat more Democratic and Connolly never faced another competitive general election. He served for nine terms in office.
Connolly was only the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from January to April 2025. He previously tapped Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts to become Acting Ranking Member. Connolly’s death will now officially trigger a contest for the permanent role. In addition to Oversight, Connolly was a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
A special election will now be called by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, to succeed Connolly in the 11th District. Several candidates who launched campaigns for the regular election in 2026 will probably run in the special election for the remainder of Connolly’s unexpired term. The late Congressman previously endorsed his former Chief of Staff and current Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw to be his successor. However, State Senator Stella Pekarsky and Fairfax County Planning Commissioner Candice Bennett have also been running in the Democratic primary. In the Republican field, 2024 nominee Mike Van Meter has decided to run again. Given the partisan lean of the district, the winner of the Democratic primary will likely become the next U.S. Representative here.
Under the current lines, Democrat Kamala Harris won Virginia’s 11th Congressional District with a 65.7-31.4 finish against Republican Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. That came as Harris was carrying the state 51.8-46.0 in her ultimately unsuccessful national campaign. On the same ballot, Connolly was re-elected with a 66.7-32.9 victory against Van Meter for his final term in office.