by Sarah Roderick-Fitch

Virginia Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly has died following a battle with cancer.

He was 75.

The family of Connolly released a statement Wednesday morning saying he “passed away peacefully at his home this morning surrounded by family.”

The Boston, Mass., native eventually settled in northern Virginia, serving on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors before being elected to serve Virginia’s 11th Congressional District in 2008.

Connolly announced in late April that he would not be seeking reelection and would be stepping down as a ranking member of the House Oversight Committee.

In November, the congressman announced he was battling esophageal cancer.

In the April letter to his constituents, the congressman said that when he first announced his can

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