Rep. Gerry Connolly, 75, has died, family statement says
Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia died on Wednesday morning, according to a statement from his family. He was 75.
'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,' the statement said.
Last month, Connolly announced that he would not seek reelection and would soon step down from his leadership position on the powerful House Oversight Committee.
Connolly said at the time that his esophageal cancer — a diagnosis he shared in November — had returned.
'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,' he said in a statement at the time.
Connolly has served as a congressman from Virginia's 11th district, which includes parts of northern Virginia, since 2009. Before that, he served on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for 14 years.
The statement from Connolly's family on Wednesday added: '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.'
'His absence will leave a hole in our hearts, but we are proud that his life's work will endure for future generations. We thank you for your love of Gerry, and know he loved you all so much.'
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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Politico
12 minutes ago
- Politico
Kweisi Mfume is pitching an old-school approach to one of House Democrats' highest-profile jobs
Frustrated by Democrats' seniority system, Kweisi Mfume fled the House three decades ago, saying he could do more to advance civil rights from the outside. Now he's back and trying to reap the benefits of seniority at a moment when many in his party are starting to openly question it. The Baltimore native last month surprised many House colleagues by entering the wide-open race to lead Democrats on the high-profile Oversight Committee, seeking to fill the spot vacated by the sudden death of Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly. Into the void jumped a pair of young, ambitious members — Jasmine Crockett of Texas and Robert Garcia of California — as well as a close Connolly ally, Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts. And then there's Mfume, who at 76 is making no bones about this being the capstone of a long career that included stints leading the Congressional Black Caucus and the NAACP — jobs he took back in the 1990s. 'I started a long time ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth,' Mfume joked in an interview, before describing his old-school approach to legislative relations: 'The first thing you learn is how to count votes, which has never failed me yet,' he said, adding that he would be careful not to alienate colleagues 'by doing something that causes problems for them in their district.' Rather than detail a point-by-point agenda for taking on President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, Mfume said if elected he'd convene the committee's Democrats to decide a course of action. The party, he said, can only move forward with a 'consensus.' That style stands in sharp contrast to a Democratic base that's itching for more aggressive leadership and a more visible fight with Trump — something the other candidates are clearly heeding: Garcia has tangled with the Justice Department over his criticism of Elon Musk; Crockett has broached the prospect of a Trump impeachment inquiry; and Lynch, as the panel's interim top Democrat, attempted last week to subpoena Musk during a panel hearing. The race also threatens to become a proxy fight for broader questions about age and seniority inside the Democratic Party. House Democrats ousted several aging committee leaders at the end of last Congress as they girded for a fight with the Trump administration — and many in the base were disappointed when Connolly triumphed over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. The winner is poised to lead efforts to investigate and thwart the Trump administration if Democrats can retake the House majority next year — and ride herd on a chaotic panel that in recent months has featured intense personal attacks between lawmakers and the display of nude photos. 'It's a street fight every day,' said Rep. Lateefah Simon of California when asked about the panel and what it takes to lead it. 'It's every single day being able to expose the hypocrisy of this administration and to tell the truth.' There was a time when Mfume would have been a natural choice for such a moment. First elected to Baltimore's City Council at the age of 30, he quickly butted heads with legendary Mayor William Donald Schaefer. After longtime Rep. Parren Mitchell retired, Mfume easily won the seat in 1986 and within a few years become a national figure due to his chairmanship of the CBC. Ascending to that role just as Bill Clinton was elected to the presidency, he became an important power broker, forcing key concessions in Clinton's 1993 budget and pushing the White House to restore ousted Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power. He also clashed with Clinton at times, including over his decision to pull the nomination of prominent Black legal scholar Lani Guinier to a top Justice Department post. But after Democrats lost their House majority in 1994 — and Mfume lost a quixotic bid to enter the party leadership — he decided two years later to forgo a long climb up the seniority ladder. He instead took the helm at the Baltimore-based NAACP, a job thought to better harness his skills at organizing and oratory. Former Maryland state Sen. Jill Carter said Mfume has long had the 'it factor' and 'charisma' that matters in politics. When Carter ran against Mfume in his 2020 House comeback bid, she got a reminder of how well her rival was known in the district and beyond: 'When some of my people did exit polling, they got the response, 'Oh, we love Jill but, come on, this is Kweisi.'' What's less clear is whether Mfume's reputation in Baltimore, burnished over 45 years in the public eye, makes him the man for the moment as far as his contemporary House colleagues are concerned. He's not known as a partisan brawler, and he said in the interview he doesn't intend to become one. 'There are always going to be fights and disagreements,' he said. 'It's kind of escalated in the last few years to a level that we haven't seen before. I think the main thing is to moderate and to manage the disagreements, because you're not going to cause any of them to go away. How you manage them and how they are perceived by the overall public is what makes a difference.' Mfume is leaning heavily, in fact, on the style and reputation of the man who filled the 7th District seat for the 24 years in between his House stints — the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, who served as top Democrat and then chair of Oversight during Trump's first term and is still spoken of in reverent terms inside the caucus. Mfume concedes that Cummings might have been the better communicator — he 'had a little more preacher in him than I do' — but said they share a similar lofty approach to politics. Like Cummings, he suggested prescription drug prices might be a committee priority. What Mfume is unlikely to have is the official support of the Congressional Black Caucus, a powerful force in intracaucus politics. With two members in the race — Crockett also belongs — Mfume said he does not expect a formal CBC endorsement after an interview process Wednesday. But he still expected to draw support from the bloc — especially its more senior members. Other factors complicate Mfume's candidacy. One is age: He is a year older than Connolly was when he was elected to lead Oversight Democrats last year. For those who prize seniority, Lynch has actually spent more time on the panel. And his 2004 departure from the NAACP was marred by controversy: The Baltimore Sun reported the executive committee of the group voted not to extend his contract under threat of a sexual harassment lawsuit; the NAACP later paid the woman who complained a $100,000 settlement. Mfume strenuously denied any wrongdoing, but while the episode has not emerged as a major issue in the Oversight race, some Democrats have privately expressed reservations about elevating a leader with personal baggage to potentially lead investigations of Trump. 'There's never been one person to corroborate that one allegation — not one,' Mfume said. About the payment, he said, 'I found out about it, quite frankly, after it happened.' Much of the Democratic Caucus remains undecided ahead of the June 24 secret-ballot vote. Candidates will first go before Democrats' Steering and Policy Committee, which will make a recommendation to the full caucus. 'I think that you have a situation where Mfume and Steve Lynch are getting support from folks who put seniority at top, and maybe the other two candidates would probably lean toward members who are newer, and then you got a whole host of folks that's in the middle. And I think that's where the battle is to see where they fall,' said Rep. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.). One younger member said he was swayed by Mfume's experience. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who is 48 and had weighed his own bid, said that while other candidates were compelling, the Baltimorean had a 'leg up.' 'Kweisi shows me pictures of him with Nelson Mandela,' he said. 'I was like, I'm not going to run against Nelson Mandela's best friend.'

USA Today
21 minutes ago
- USA Today
Trump isn't destroying our 'democratic norms.' Progressives are.
Trump isn't destroying our 'democratic norms.' Progressives are. | Opinion I see Democrats, much of the mainstream media and other progressives downplaying and even excusing violent protests, illegal immigration and other actions that threaten Americans' security. Show Caption Hide Caption Trump on the return of deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia President Trump spoke with reporters on Air Force One on the return of deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia. When Donald Trump ran for president a second time, Democrats repeatedly cried that he would dismantle and disrupt "democratic norms." Trump certainly is an unconventional president. But I've found no evidence that he is, as charged, destroying democracy. Instead, I see Democrats, much of the mainstream media and other progressives downplaying and even excusing violent protests, illegal immigration and other actions that threaten Americans' security. Take, for example, the storylines involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who entered the United States illegally and who is accused of affiliation with a violent gang. The Trump administration was harshly criticized for wrongly deporting Abrego Garcia without due process. He is now back in the United States and faces human trafficking charges. Opinion: ICE is enforcing the law. Trump is right to send National Guard to protect them. Abrego Garcia faces human smuggling charges Where are the acknowledgments from progressives and the news media that perhaps this isn't a person we want to remain in the United States, after all? If turning an alleged human smuggler into a cause célèbre isn't a disruption of norms, what is? Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, protesters are setting fire to vehicles, hurling rocks at law enforcement officers and looting businesses. All because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained people who are in the country illegally. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, incapable of restoring order in his state's largest city, has attacked Trump and others for sending in the National Guard and Marines to stop the violence. If excusing violence in the name of protecting illegal migrants, and at the expense of law and order, is not a disruption of norms, what is? Opinion: Former Biden press secretary is ready to tell Americans the truth? Give me a break. Democrats are selective in upholding the rule of law When the Trump administration wrongly deported Abrego Garcia, Democratic leaders were quick to embrace him. Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen even traveled to El Salvador to meet with Abrego Garcia. What Van Hollen and many others ignored were the criminal accusations against Abrego Garcia. Recently, a federal grand jury indictment was made public, accusing Abrego Garcia of 'conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens for financial gain' and 'unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain.' Prosecutors say Abrego Garcia 'knowingly and unlawfully transported thousands of undocumented aliens' for profit between 2016 and 2025. Progressives seem to have a selective bias on when to ignore or champion the law. That has been the case since violent protests have erupted in Los Angeles. Progressives have portrayed efforts to enforce immigration laws in California as the "first stages of a Trump police state." Yet, most Americans support enforcing the law. A Reuters/Ipsos poll in May found that "55% of Americans support increasing deportations of immigrants without legal status." Only 42% oppose increased deportations. Progressives' excuses for illegal immigration and violent protests are more damaging than anything Trump has done in his second term. They want us to ignore not only what we are seeing with our own eyes but the rule of law as well. What we truly must not ignore is how dangerously wrong they are. Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.


USA Today
22 minutes ago
- USA Today
New Jersey primaries: Trump-backed Ciattarelli wins GOP nod; Sherrill wins Dem nomination
New Jersey primaries: Trump-backed Ciattarelli wins GOP nod; Sherrill wins Dem nomination Show Caption Hide Caption Newark mayor Ras Baraka sues over arrest at ICE facility Newark mayor Ras Baraka announced he's suing two federal officials who he allege ordered his arrest at an ICE facility in New Jersey. One in a pair of states with a gubernatorial race this year, New Jersey hosted the more competitive of the two primaries Tuesday night. Five Republicans and six Democrats vied to represent their party in the November general election. Yet, despite the crowded fields, both races were called within an hour of polls closing. Jack Ciattarelli, who had President Donald Trump's backing, walked away with the win among Republicans, and Rep. Mikie Sherrill came out victorious against her fellow Democrats. Ciattarelli has run in the last two gubernatorial races in New Jersey, coming in 3 points behind current Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021. The outcome between Ciattarelli and Sherrill is highly anticipated even beyond the Garden State, as a potential national bellwether ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. New Jersey voters have picked their nominees for governor. Now, attention turns south to Virginia. The commonwealth will host their primaries the following week on June 17. But unlike New Jersey, there won't be much jostling for a spot at the top of the ticket. Only two of the six statewide primary races are competitive this year, both on the Democratic side. In the governor's race, Democrat Abigail Spanberger and Republican Winsome Earle-Sears have each had their party's nomination since April. -- Savannah Kuchar EMILY's List, a group focused on electing Democratic women to office, endorsed Sherrill in the primaries and celebrated her win Tuesday. 'This is a time for tough leaders, and Mikie Sherrill is as tough as they come,' EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler said in a statement, adding, 'At EMILYs List we are proud to have stood with Mikie since her first campaign, and we're thrilled to support her all the way to victory in November.' Sherrill is now one of two women representing the Democratic ticket for governor in 2025, along with former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who locked her nomination in Virginia back in April. The pair began their congressional careers the same year in 2019 and share a more moderate reputation. The Democratic National Committee, who did not endorse a candidate in the New Jersey primary, also congratulated Sherrill. 'The DNC is all hands on deck to ensure the Governor's office and Assembly remain blue in November,' DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. 'We will do everything in our power to unite the party and defeat Republican extremists like Jack Ciattarelli.' -- Savannah Kuchar Shortly after Ciattarelli clinched the Republican nomination for governor, the Democratic Governors Association released a statement bashing the former state legislator over his endorsement from the president. 'Ciattarelli's about-face to unequivocally embrace Donald Trump and his refusal to stand up to his party's extreme, costly, and unpopular agenda are too extreme for New Jersey,' said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Izzi Levy. 'Between now and November, we will make sure voters remember why they rejected his last two statewide bids.' Ciattarelli is a previous Trump critic turned presidential endorsee. In 2015, he called Trump a GOP 'charlatan.' This year, in Ciattarelli's third run for governor, Trump offered his full vocal support, including in a telephone rally with voters. Republican State Leadership Committee President Edith Jorge-Tuñón congratulated Ciattarelli in a statement Tuesday evening, and said, 'With New Jersey Republicans rallying around Jack Ciattarelli, we are well positioned to hold Democrats accountable for their poor record and work to deliver the real change that has been promised.' -- Savannah Kuchar Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy pilot and federal prosecutor, has won the Democratic nomination for New Jersey governor, according to projections from The Washington Post and the Associated Press She beat out five party competitors, in what was the most competitive gubernatorial primary this year. Sherrill is will face Republican Jack Ciattarelli in the November general. -- Savannah Kuchar Jack Ciattarelli won the GOP nomination in New Jersey's 2025 gubernatorial election, as results from the primary trickle in. The race was called by the Washington Post and Associated Press shortly after polls closed. He earned Trump's backing in May and came into Election Day with a strong frontrunner status. Ciattarelli previously served as a member of the New Jersey general assembly and has run two prior campaigns for governor. In 2021, he came within 3 points of unseating current Gov. Phil Murphy, who is now term limited. – Savannah Kuchar More: Trump-backed candidate wins Republican nomination in New Jersey governor's race Polls are now closed in New Jersey's 2025 primaries. Results are expected later this evening and will determine both parties' nominees for governor. Republicans may have their nominee sooner, with former state assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli polling well ahead of his GOP competitors. -- Savannah Kuchar Polls will close in New Jersey at 8 p.m. ET on June 10. Once voting is over, New Jersey Republicans and Democrats alike will wait to learn who their official nominee for governor is in 2025. Those nominees face off later this year on November 4. – Savannah Kuchar New Jersey is one of two states with a gubernatorial race in 2025, along with Virginia. Both states typically hold their state elections in off years, between presidential and mid-term elections. This year, they are widely viewed as the first real temperature check on voters' moods and key issues since November 2024. Following the June 10 primaries in New Jersey, Virginia will host theirs June 17. While New Jersey has a crowded field of candidates vying for the governor's mansion on both sides of the aisle, Virginia's top of ticket race has been set since April. Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, will face Virginia's Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears this fall. – Savannah Kuchar One area where Democrats vying to be New Jersey's next governor seem to agree are opposing President Trump's response to the anti-ICE demonstrations in California. The president's move to deploy Marines and the National Guard has sparked arguably the most significant showdown with a Democratic governor since his return to the White House. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, for example, filed an emergency motion seeking to limit the use of troops. On the New Jersey campaign trail, Sherrill and Gottheimer condemned Trump and defended Newsom's actions, according to Fox News. Baraka, as has been mentioned, has already made headlines after being detained outside an ICE facility last month. He has filed suit against the U.S. Attorney in New Jersey, claiming it was 'false arrest, malicious prosecution and defamation." New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller, one of the longshot contenders, said in a June 9 post on X that if elected he wouldn't 'bend down' to Trump's tactics. 'What's happening in the streets of (Los Angeles) is not normal and we shouldn't act like it is,' Spiller said. 'From ICE tearing apart families to the President sending out the National Guard -- over the objection of the Governor -- and now apparently contemplating deploying Marines on our people - we have to stand up in solidarity and defend our democracy.' — Phillip M. Bailey Trump has owned property in Bedminster, New Jersey, since 2002. However, the president is not expected to vote in the Garden State's election. In the 2024 presidential election, Trump cast a ballot for himself from Palm Beach, part of Florida's 22nd Congressional District. USA TODAY has reached out to the White House to confirm Trump is still registered to vote in the Sunshine State. A recent inspection at Trump's ritzy golf club, located on 500-plus-acres in central New Jersey, found more than a dozen health code violations. According to a May 6 report, raw meat was improperly refrigerated, some handwashing stations lacked soap and the person in charge failed to "demonstrate knowledge of food safety." -- Savannah Kuchar and Zachary Schermele One political figure you'd think would have a lot to say about picking the Garden State's next leader is Republican Chris Christie, whose brash-style pre-dated the Trump era. The verbose former governor, who led New Jersey from 2010-2018 and twice ran for president unsuccessfully, hasn't endorsed anyone in this year's contest. He also was quiet across his socials as voters flocked to the polls Tuesday. Asked last week if he planned to support anyone, Christie told The Star-Ledger: 'I haven't decided yet.' Christie mentioned having a 'great working relationship' with Brammick, a Republican state legislator, but he mostly warned the GOP that independents -- who will be critical in the fall for any Republican -- may sour on Trump by the fall. 'If those independents have become disenchanted with what's happening in Washington under Donald Trump, that will put a significant headwind onto Republicans,' he said. — Phillip M. Bailey Rep. Mikie Sherrill is the frontrunner coming into Tuesday evening. In a May poll by Emerson College and The Hill, Sherrill was ahead with 28% of voters' support. She faces Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and fellow member of Congress Josh Gottheimer, all of whom were sitting at 11% support in last month's poll. New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller and former state Sen. President Steve Sweeney are also in the running. -- Savannah Kuchar This race is particularly important for national Democrats because it will be the first major competitive primary since their shattering defeat in the 2024 presidential race. A poll conducted by Emerson College in May found among registered Democratic voters, Sherrill had a solid lead with 28%, but another 24% were undecided. In the last weeks of the race she has faced attack ads for accepting donations linked from a corporate PAC tied to SpaceX, which is owned by Trump 'frienemy' Elon Musk. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has pitched himself as the candidate most willing to take on Trump. He was thrust into the national spotlight in May after a confrontation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a federal facility But if electability remains a worry then N.J. Democrats may bet on a safer choice such as U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who co-founded a bipartisan group dubbed the "Problem Solvers Caucus" that tries to sniff out consensus in Congress. Others in the race, such as Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, are looking for an opening, too. He's been running as a 'pragmatic progressive' for voters fed up with the state's political machine. — Phillip M. Bailey Current New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, is term-limited and cannot run again in this year's race. Murphy has served as top official in the state since 2018 and will conclude his second consecutive term next January. His absence from the race leaves the contest wide open for either party to claim the governor's mansion. The president first announced his support for Ciattarelli in a Truth Social post on May 12. 'Jack Ciattarelli is a terrific America First Candidate running to be the next Governor of a State that I love, NEW JERSEY!' Trump wrote. 'Jack, who after getting to know and understand MAGA, has gone ALL IN, and is now 100%' The two have not always been the best of buds publicly. In 2015, Ciattarelli called Trump a "charlatan." Then in his second campaign for governor in 2021, he kept the then-former president at arm's length. Bygones appear to be bygones, though. Trump told voters in a telephone rally on June 2 Ciattarelli "is the most experienced and battle-tested" candidate.