Gerry Connolly


Gerald Edward Connolly was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 11th congressional district from 2009 until his death in 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected in 2008 to replace retiring Republican incumbent Tom Davis, who did not seek re-election and later resigned shortly after the election. The 11th district is situated in the suburbs of Northern Virginia. It is anchored in the affluent Fairfax County, where Connolly served on the county's board of supervisors before his election to Congress, and also includes the entirety of Fairfax City.
In April 2025, Connolly announced that he would not seek re-election in 2026 citing health concerns. He died in office on May 21, 2025, following treatment for esophageal cancer.

Early life and education

Connolly was born in Boston on March 30, 1950, the son of Mary Therese, a nurse, and Edward R. Connolly, an insurance salesman. He graduated from Maryknoll Junior Seminary High School in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, in 1968. In 1971, he graduated from Maryknoll College in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, with a Bachelor of Arts in literature, and completed a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School in 1979.

Career

U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

Connolly worked from 1979 to 1989 with the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, where he managed committee oversight of international economic issues, international narcotics control, and United Nations and Middle East policies, and published reports on U.S. policy in El Salvador, Central America, Israel, and the Persian Gulf region. From 1989 to 1997, he was Vice President of the Washington Office of SRI International. He was also Director of Community Relations for SAIC.
In local politics, Connolly served as Providence District Supervisor for nine years, first elected in 1995.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

Connolly's career as a public official began on March 28, 1995, when he won a special election for the Providence District seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, defeating Republican Jeannemarie A. Devolites. A rematch against Devolites in November of that same year saw Connolly reelected to a full four-year term on the board. Connolly ran unopposed for reelection in November 1999. He was elected Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2003 and reelected in 2007.
As chairman of the ten-member board, Connolly balanced a $4.5 billion budget and managed a county that would be the nation's 13th-largest city, 12th-largest school district, and sixth-largest office market. He served as chairman of the county's Legislative Committee and vice-chair of the Economic Advisory Committee. Connolly also served as chairman of the board of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, chairman of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, and was chairman of the board of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. He also represented Fairfax County on the board of the Virginia Association of Counties, where he also served as president.

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

As the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Connolly co-sponsored this bill with Darrell Issa. It is a proposed bill that would make changes and reforms to the current framework that manages how the federal government buys new technology. One of the requirements would be that the government develop a streamlined plan for its acquisitions. The bill would increase the power of existing chief information officers within federal agencies so that they could be more effective. Each agency would also be reduced to having only one CIO in the agency, who is then responsible for the success and failure of all IT projects in that agency. The bill would also require the federal government to make use of private sector best practices. The bill is intended to reduce IT procurement related waste. Explaining the bill, Connolly said that "there are more than 250 identified CIOs in the federal government, yet none possess the necessary authority to effectively manage IT investments" which has "resulted in duplicative and wasteful IT spending." It passed the House in a voice vote on February 25, 2014.
Government Reports Elimination Act of 2014 As the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Connolly co-sponsored this bill with Darrell Issa. It is a proposed bill that would eliminate approximately 100 required federal agency reports that are considered redundant or wasteful. Connolly argued that "in today's challenging fiscal environment, it is incumbent that we leverage every opportunity to streamline or eliminate antiquated agency reporting requirements that are duplicative, irrelevant or simply ignored." The bill passed in the House in a voice vote on April 28, 2014.
In the 117th United States Congress, the Center for Effective Lawmaking's legislative effectiveness scores ranked Connolly as the most effective legislator.

Political positions

Connolly voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight analysis completed in January 2023.

Abortion

Connolly supported abortion rights. He voted against the Stupak Amendment to the Affordable Care Act, which placed stringent limits on health insurance companies offering abortion services. During the budget amendments process in 2011, he voted against an amendment that would have prevented taxpayer funds from going to Planned Parenthood.

Civil liberties

Connolly voted for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 regarding funding the US Armed Forces, including the paychecks delivered to soldiers but also including a controversial provision that allows the government and the military to detain anyone "who was part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners", and anyone who commits a "belligerent act" against the United States or its coalition allies in aid of such enemy forces, under the law of war, "without trial, until the end of the hostilities authorized by the Authorization of Use of Military Force." The law would not grant new powers to the President but does codify federal court rulings on this issue and the detainment of unlawful combatants until hostilities are over is in accordance to the Geneva Conventions.

Economics

Connolly voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009, the supplemental appropriations bill that established Cash for Clunkers, and the Cash for Clunkers Extension. Additionally, he voted for all of the 2010 governmental appropriations bills, and he voted for the Continuing Appropriations Act for 2011. He voted against some large spending bills, including the release of $350 billion in bank bailout funds and a $154 billion spending bill because of concerns these would add to the federal deficit.
He was a cosponsor of pay-as-you-go budget legislation that was signed into law in February 2010.
In May 2011, Connolly voted to increase the debt ceiling, but the measure failed by a significant margin. It was his third such vote.
Connolly was among the 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.

Energy

Connolly voted in favor of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, saying it would strengthen national security while spurring innovation in the energy industry. In 2010, he voted in favor of ending a moratorium on deepwater drilling rigs that met certain safety standards. Connolly was one of the 35 congressmen who founded the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition.

LGBT issues

Connolly supported gay rights. He campaigned against the Marshall-Newman Amendment to the Virginia Constitution, which banned all gay unions from being performed or recognized in Virginia. In Congress, he voted in favor of repealing the contentious "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law that prohibited gays from serving openly in the military. He co-sponsored bills that would repeal portions of the Defense of Marriage Act—a federal law that had effectively banned same-sex marriage across the country.

Guns

While on the Board of Supervisors for Fairfax County, Connolly sponsored an ordinance that would have made it illegal to transport a loaded shotgun in the back of one's car. In Congress, Connolly signed on to a measure that would have closed the gun show loophole by requiring that private sellers of firearms at gun shows engage in the same background check and reporting requirements as registered firearms dealers. Connolly opposed allowing concealed weapons in schools and on college campuses.
In November 2011, Connolly voted against the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act, which would have exempted non-residents of states that prohibit concealed weapons from those restrictions.