DCNOW Mourns the Death of Representative Gerry Connolly

By: Miriam Edelman

DCNOW mourns Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA), whom the Democratic Party of Virginia referred to as “a true giant in Virginia politics.” On May 21, 2025, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member died at age 75. He had been battling esophageal cancer. DCNOW’s blog piece, entitled “Leaders of Key Congressional Committees With Jurisdiction Over Washington, D.C.: Their Views on D.C. Autonomy,” discussed Connolly and his views about D.C.

On March 30, 1950, Connolly was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He studied to be a priest but was disenchanted by the church’s silence regarding the Vietnam War. He received a B.A. from Maryknoll College and a M.P.A. from Harvard University. He worked as a Democratic employee on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and then  served in leadership in the business and nonprofit sectors. From 1995 through 2003, he was a member of the Fairfax County, Virginia, Board of Supervisors (Board). Between 2004 and 2008, he was Chair of the Board.

Connolly was a major proponent of the D.C. area’s Metro system’s Silver Line, which opened in 2014 and whose extension opened in 2022. As Connolly said in October 2022 regarding the opening day of the extension of the Silver Line,

I have been proud to champion the Silver Line for nearly three decades — first as a Supervisor tasked with rezoning Tysons for transit, then Chairman of the Board during the battles to get the project back on track, and finally in Congress to help ink the final funding deal and conduct oversight of Silver Line construction.

The extension enables people to ride the D.C. Metro to Dulles International Airport and beyond.

Connolly served in the House since 2009. In 2008, he flipped an open Congressional seat, replacing a retiring Republican. His victory foreshadowed Virginia’s shift from a Republican to a Democratic state in federal elections. As his district changed in terms of constituents and politics, Connolly also shifted from supporting infrastructure to being critical of President Donald Trump Administrations’ overreach. Connolly was the leader in blocking the Trump White House’s attempts to ask about citizenship in the 2020 census.

Multiple times, the National Organization for Women Political Action Committee (PAC) endorsed Connolly for Congress. In response to the PAC’s endorsement in 2022, on Facebook, Connolly wrote, “Throughout my career and as long as I am in office, I will always make advocating for women, gender and pay equality, and defending the right to choose a central part of my work.”

As a Member of Congress, Connolly, who represented many federal government workers in his Northern Virginia district, helped government employees. He called out Trump’s firings of many federal workers when in January 2025, Connolly said, “Trump is on a wrecking cruise to de-professionalize the civil service and threaten basic services to Americans.” He also said, “It’s unlawful firings and impoundments that threaten to unravel 142 years” of the tradition of a “civil service immune from partisan politics.”

In 2013, Connolly joined the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (Assembly), a forum of 281 parliamentarians from NATO’s 32 members. Between November 2020 and November 2022 and then again between July and November 2024, he was Assembly President. After Connolly died, the Assembly’s current President Marcos Perestrello said:

Gerry was one of the most consequential Presidents this Assembly has ever had, having served as President twice. He was an extraordinary leader and a role model for many of us. He spent his career as a fierce defender of our unique transatlantic Alliance and its foundational democratic values. His leadership elevated the stature of our Assembly and, through the Assembly, elevated the voice of Allied parliaments and citizens. As we pay tribute to his exceptional service, his exemplary integrity, remarkable drive and determination as well as his profound commitment to public service and to the defence of democracy, freedom, justice, the rule of law and human rights will continue to inspire all Assembly members. We will not relent in our efforts to ensure that NATO operationalises its commitment to its foundational values through the establishment of a Centre for Democratic Resilience at NATO Headquarters – a goal Gerry set for the Assembly and pursued with utmost resolve.

In November 2024, Connolly announced that he has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. As he wrote to his constituents:

A few days ago, I learned I joined the ranks of millions of Americans. I have cancer of the esophagus. It was a surprise because, except for some intermittent abdominal aches and pains, I had no symptoms. I’m going to undergo chemotherapy and immunotherapy right away. Cancer can be tough. But so am I. I will attack this the only way I know how – with Irish fight and humor.

Earlier this year, he became the Ranking Member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, replacing then-Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD). In December 2024, Connolly defeated rising star Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) twice to become Ranking Member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which is closely tied with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), supported Connolly by a 34 Connolly to 27 Ocasio-Cortez 27 vote. Then, in a secret-ballot vote, the Democratic caucus chose Connolly by a vote of 131 to 84.

In just April 2025, Connolly announced that his cancer returned, that he would not run for reelection, and that he would be stepping down from his Oversight role. Connolly had asked Representative Stephen Lynch (D-MA) to take that role, and he endorsed Lynch as his replacement. Lynch has been acting as the committee’s Ranking Member.

Within hours of Connolly’s death, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee met for a scheduled markup. At the beginning of the business meeting, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee renamed H.R. 3490, the Esophageal Cancer Awareness Act, with a new name, the “Gerald E. Connolly Esophageal Cancer Awareness Act.” On May 19, 2025, Connolly and Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) had introduced H.R. 3490, which was the last bill that they discussed. As the Oversight and Government Reform Committee wrote in a press release about the bill, the bipartisan piece of legislation “encourages research into preventative treatments, and directs the Government Accountability Office to evaluate the total impact of esophageal cancer-related health care spending under the Federal Employee Health Benefits program.” At the mark-up, Committee members talked about Connolly and unanimously passed H.R. 3490 by a vote of 42 Yas and 0 Nays.

Hours after Connolly died, Elanor Holmes Norton’s (D-DC) office issued a statement about Connolly. The press release quoted Norton:

“Rep. Connolly was an ally to D.C. who I worked closely with on issues relating to the National Capital Region and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability over many years.”

“This Congress he stood out for boldly fighting on behalf of federal workers even as he waged a personal war against cancer. Rep. Connolly should be seen as a role model for those aspiring to a career in public service. Although he represented Virginia’s 11th congressional district, D.C. will not soon forget his support for D.C. statehood and home rule. I send my sincere condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones.”

As Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) said:

My friend Gerry Connolly was a one-of-a-kind public servant who never shied away from fighting for Northern Virginia and our country. I will miss his voice on the many issues that were lucky to benefit from his steadfast leadership, from delivering the congressional oversight the American people deserve and protecting NATO, to standing up for the many federal workers who call Virginia home and securing once-in-a-generation transportation infrastructure investments.

Let’s always remember Connolly, a major figure in politics in northern Virginia. He will forever be missed.