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Veteran lawmaker was a fierce advocate for federal workers and democratic values.
By David Cohen
*Veteran lawmaker was a fierce advocate for federal workers and democratic values.*
Rep. Gerry Connolly, a long-serving Democrat from Northern Virginia and a staunch champion of federal employees, died Wednesday at the age of 75.
His family confirmed his passing in a statement released through his congressional office:
“We were fortunate to share Gerry with Northern Virginia for nearly 40 years because that was his joy, his purpose, and his passion. His absence will leave a hole in our hearts, but we are proud that his life’s work will endure for future generations.”
Connolly had announced on April 28 that he would not seek reelection in 2026 and would step down as the ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, following the return of his esophageal cancer.
“The sun is setting on my time in public service, and this will be my last term in Congress,” Connolly wrote in an email to constituents. “You all have been a joy to serve.”
He first revealed his cancer diagnosis in November 2024. Despite his illness, he was elected as the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee just weeks later, prevailing over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in a closed-door caucus vote.
Connolly represented a district densely populated by federal employees and consistently advocated on their behalf throughout his tenure.
“I also have one of the highest education levels of any district in the United States,” he said during his 2010 reelection campaign. “They know how they’re employed; they know what generates economic activity. It isn’t about embracing ‘big bad government.’ We care about the deficit — I’m a deficit hawk — but the solution isn’t a meat cleaver, it’s a scalpel.”
During the Trump administration, Connolly emerged as one of the federal workforce’s most vocal defenders. In a May 2025 speech, he said:
“Since day one, Trump and DOGE have wasted no time attacking the federal workforce, mercilessly slashing funding for life-saving services, and ripping away Americans’ access to basic necessities.”
His concern for public service extended to foreign affairs as well. Before entering Congress, Connolly served as a staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1979 to 1989. In the House, he was an active member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and numerous country-specific caucuses. In 2024, he was elected acting president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), a former NATO PA president, praised Connolly's efforts in April 2025:
“He has been relentless in his pursuit of establishing a Centre for Democratic Resilience at NATO headquarters, recognizing the importance of strengthening democratic institutions across NATO allies and partners.”
**From Boston Roots to the Beltway**
Gerald Edward Connolly was born on March 30, 1950, in Boston. His family had deep ties to the Democratic Party — his father was a ward committeeman and a delegate to the 1962 convention that nominated Ted Kennedy for the U.S. Senate.
Originally aspiring to the priesthood, Connolly studied at a seminary before deciding the Church wasn’t political enough on pressing issues like the Vietnam War. He earned a literature degree from Maryknoll College in Illinois and a master’s from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
In a 2012 interview, Connolly reflected on his decision to enter public life:
“I wanted to be a priest. I liked the message of the church and wanted to help people. But I came to believe politics was the best way to do that.”
He proudly noted his undefeated electoral record — from high school student government through eight congressional campaigns.
Connolly began his political career on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 1995 and became its chair in 2003. He won an open congressional seat in 2008 and narrowly defended it in 2010 against Republican Keith Fimian.
“While trees were falling all over the woods, this one didn’t,” Connolly quipped after Fimian conceded.
Though he survived that close race, the 2010 GOP wave brought a Republican House majority and an era of fiscal battles. Connolly remained a vocal opponent of efforts to shrink the federal workforce.
“The other side has decided they’re an easy punching bag, and it is outrageous on many, many scores,” he said in 2012.
Doreen P. Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, summed up Connolly’s legacy after he announced his retirement:
“He’s always been somebody that we could lean on.”