Comment Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) and three others, including two of her staff, were killed in a car crash Wednesday afternoon, according to the Elkhart County, Ind., sheriff’s office. “It is with a heavy heart that I share this statement from the Office of Congressman Jackie Walorski,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (D-Calif.) said in a statement on Twitter, posting a photo that included the following text: “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 returned home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers. We will have no further comment at this time.” Walorski, 58, was involved in a two-vehicle crash on Route 19 south of Route 119, according to the sheriff’s office. The driver of a northbound vehicle traveled left of the center line and collided head-on with the sport-utility vehicle carrying Walorski and his staff Zachery Potts, 27, and Emma Thomson, 28. All three occupants of the southbound vehicle died. from their injuries. Edith Schmucker, 56, was the sole occupant of the other vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) ordered flags flown at the US Capitol in Walorski’s memory. “A lifelong Hoosier, Congresswoman Walorski lived a life of service: whether she was caring for poor children in Romania, representing her community in the Indiana Statehouse, or serving nearly a decade in the House,” Pelosi said in a statement. “She passionately brought the voices of her northern Indiana constituents to Congress and was admired by colleagues on both sides of the aisle for her personal kindness.” Walorski had served in Congress since 2013 representing the 2nd Congressional District. She was the top Republican on the House Ethics Committee and served on the House Ways and Means Committee. The South Bend, Ind., native worked in journalism and academia before being elected to Congress in 2012. A religious conservative, she was educated at Christian colleges and did missionary work before coming to Capitol Hill. McCarthy appointed her in early 2021 to the ranking Republican post on the sensitive Ethics Committee, an evenly divided committee that handles investigations of lawmakers. “I am honored to take on the important responsibility of holding members of the House to the highest standards of transparency, accountability and ethical conduct,” he said in a statement after receiving the appointment. House GOP women are a critical piece of the party’s next move on abortion President Biden, who ordered flags at the White House to be flown at half-staff in honor of the congresswoman, issued a statement saying he and first lady Jill Biden were “shocked and deeply saddened” by Walorski’s death. “We may have represented different parties and disagreed on many issues, but she was respected by members of both parties for her work on the House Ways and Means Committee on which she served,” Biden said. Fellow Republicans expressed their grief Wednesday shortly after news of Walorski’s death broke. Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel called Walorski “a good friend.” “She was an incredible public servant for Hoosiers and a leader in the Republican Party,” McDaniel said in a statement. “The entire Republican National Committee is praying for her family, as well as the families of the two executives who were also tragically killed.” Sen. Todd C. Young (R-Ind.) tweeted that he was “truly devastated.” “Jackie loved Hoosiers and dedicated her life to fighting for them,” he wrote. “I will never forget her spirit, her positive attitude and most of all her friendship.” House Minority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) tweeted that he was praying for the families of Walorski and her staff. “Shocked to hear the horrific news of the deaths of Jackie Walorski and her two employees,” Scalise wrote. “She was a dear friend who loved serving the people of Indiana in Congress.” Should Republicans take over the House after the November midterm elections, Walorski would be on track to chair the Ways and Means Worker and Family Support Subcommittee. Walorski, an evangelical Christian, was known for her conservative positions on social issues. Earlier this month, he opposed the Women’s Health Protection Act and the Securing Access to Abortion Act, calling Democrats’ stance on abortion “dangerous” and extreme. “At Speaker Pelosi’s urging, House Democrats have once again voted to green-light abortion at any point in pregnancy, anywhere in the country, and funded by the American taxpayer,” Walorski said in a statement. “Abortion on demand is a direct affront to the pro-life values and conscience rights of Americans.” A supporter of Donald Trump, Walorski voted against impeaching the former president in 2021 for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol that left one police officer and four others dead and more than 100 law enforcement officers injured . He also voted against confirming Democrat Joe Biden’s victories in Arizona and Pennsylvania in the 2020 presidential election.
