House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced Walorski’s death, sharing a statement from the family.
“Dean Swihart, Jackie’s husband, has just been notified by the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office that Jackie was killed in a car accident this afternoon. She has gone home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Please hold her her family in your thoughts and prayers We will have no further comment at this time,” read a message from the congresswoman’s office that McCarthy wrote on Twitter.
A statement released by the congresswoman’s office said two staff members also died. “In addition to the devastating loss of Rep. Walorski, it is with a broken heart that I announce the passing of two of her dedicated staff members, Zach Potts and Emma Thomson. He was the epitome of public servants who cared deeply about their work. executed,” said the statement from Tim Cummings, the congresswoman’s chief of staff.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has ordered flags on Capitol Hill to fly at half-staff in response to the lawmaker’s death, Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, Drew Hamill, announced Wednesday afternoon.
News of the congresswoman’s death and the deaths of two of her staffers sent shockwaves through Capitol Hill and immediately prompted an outpouring of grief and remembrances from lawmakers and aides paying tribute to her life and career.
The congresswoman has been seen in the House Republican conference as someone who could one day rise to the ranks of the GOP leadership, and her name has been tossed around for the conference chair in the past. He was a member of the House GOP caucus.
Walorski, who was 58, represented Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District and was a former member of the Indiana House of Representatives. He began serving in Congress in 2013.
The congresswoman served as the top Republican on the House Ethics Committee, a position that put her in line to become the committee’s chair if the GOP regains the House majority in the upcoming midterm elections. He also served as the GOP member for a subcommittee of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
GOP Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming tweeted in reaction to the news, “There has never been a more dedicated or effective member of Congress than Jackie,” adding, “I was proud to be her friend.”
This story has been updated with additional developments on Wednesday.
