Representative Gerry Connolly, the Classification Democrat in the powerful Supervision Committee of the House of Representatives, announced that “soon” will renounce their role and will not apply for re -election because its cancer has returned.
“The Sun is establishing my time in the public service, and this will be my last term in Congress. I will soon go back as a classification member of the Supervision Committee,” said Connolly in a statement. “Without resentment and a complete heart, I move to this final chapter full of pride in what we have achieved together for 30 years.”
Connolly, 75, who was first chosen in 2009, defeated the representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, 35, for the president of the Committee in December when the youngest representative tried to incorporate a new generation of leadership.
Connolly announced that he had been diagnosed with esophagus cancer in November.
Representative Gerry Connolly questions witnesses during a Committee of the Government Supervision and Reform Chamber entitled “A Hearing with Mayors of the City of Sanctuary” in Washington, on March 5, 2025.
Nathan Posner/Anadolu through Getty Images
“When I announced my diagnosis six months ago, I promised transparency,” he said in his statement on Monday. “After exhausting treatments, we have learned that cancer, although initially defeated, has now returned. I will do everything possible to continue representing it and thanks for your grace.”
Connolly has served in the Supervision Committee since his first term and has led the Democrats to the subcommittee of government operations since 2013. He won the president’s vote, 131-84, according to multiple democratic sources, consolidating their role in one of the most high profile positions in Washington to combat the Trump administration and a unified republican majority in Congress.
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The Ocordo-Cortez representative is no longer useful in the Supervision Committee, so there would be challenges to overcome if you decide to set up another offer. Even so, Connolly’s departure could pave the way for a younger leader as older Democrats continue to announce retirement following the electoral loss of 2024, which saw the age question at the forefront.
Senator Dick Durbin, the Democratic member of whip and ranking in the Judicial Committee, announced last week that he would not seek re -election.
“In my heart, I know that it is time to pass the torch,” Durbin said in the video published in X. “Threats to our democracy and the way of life are real, and I can assure you that I will do everything in my power to fight for Illinois and the future of our country every day of my remaining time in the Senate.”
The Senator of Minnesota, Tina Smith, and Senator Gary Peters of Michigan have also announced that they will not work again in 2026.
