Representative Gerry Connolly, the classification democrat of the powerful supervisory committee of the Chamber, announced that he would withdraw “soon” from his role and would not present himself to re -election because his cancer has returned.
“The sun is going to bed over my time in the public service, and it will be my last mandate at the Congress. I will soon come back as a classification member of the supervisory committee,” said Connolly in a statement. “Without resentment and a full heart, I go up in this last chapter full of pride of what we have accomplished together over 30 years.”
Connolly, 75, who was elected for the first time in 2009, beat the representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, 35, for the chairman of the committee in December while the young representative tried to call on a new generation of leadership.
Connolly announced that he had received a diagnosis of esophagus cancer in November.
Representative Gerry Connolly questions witnesses during a chamber committee on surveillance and government reform entitled “An audience with the mayors of the city of Sanctuary” in Washington, on March 5, 2025.
Nathan Posner / Anadolu via 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, while being resumed, returned now. I will do everything possible to continue representing and thank you for your grace.”
Connolly has sat on the supervisory committee since his first mandate and has directed the Democrats on the subcommittee of government operations since 2013. He won the president’s vote, 131-84, according to several democratic sources, cementing his role in one of the most important positions of Washington to fight the Trump administration and a republican majority unified in Congress.
Should Democrats gain control of the Chamber in 2026,
The representative Ocasio-Cortez no longer sits on the supervisory committee, there would therefore be challenges to overcome if it decided to set another offer. However, Connolly’s departure could open the way to a young leader while older Democrats continue to announce pensions following the electoral loss of 2024, which saw the question of age in the foreground.
Senator Dick Durbin, the Democrat whip and the member of the judicial committee classification, announced last week that he would not ask for re -election.
“In my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch,” said Durbin in the video published on X. “Threats to our democracy and our 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 time remaining in the Senate.”
Minnesota senator, Tina Smith, and Senator Gary Peters from Michigan also announced that they will not present themselves in 2026.
