Rep. Jackie Walorski, Republican of Indiana in her Cannon Building office at the Capitol.
Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call
Rep. Jackie Walorski died Wednesday afternoon along with two staffers.
Tributes came in from fellow House lawmakers and other top officials like Sec. Pete Buttigieg.
Walorski’s staffers Emma Thomson, and Zachery Potts were also killed in the accident.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and top officials throughout Washington expressed their sorrow on Wednesday after Rep. Jackie Walorski was killed in a car crash back home in Indiana.
“Today, we lost one of our greatest members,” the Republican Study Committee said in a statement. “Jackie Walorski lived a life of public service and was a friend to all who knew her.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy confirmed reports that Walorski was killed in an accident as House lawmakers were on recess away from Washington. According to WSBT, her communications director, Emma Thomson, and Zachery Potts, Walorski’s district director, were also killed in the accident.
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise recalled a “dear friend” who loved serving her state. While fellow Indiana Republican Rep. Jim Banks remembered a “true public servant –selfless, humble, and compassionate.”
“She was a devout Christian, a passionate advocate for life, and a leader among Hoosier representatives. Everything Jackie did was to serve others,” Banks wrote on Facebook. ” She had a heart of gold, and I will miss her dearly.”
Former Vice President Mike Pence said that he and former second lady Karen Pence were “heartbroken” by the news.
“.@KarenPence and I are heartbroken by the tragic passing of our dear friend Rep. Jackie Walorski. She served Indiana in the Statehouse and the Congress with integrity and principle for nearly two decades and will be deeply missed,” Pence, who is a former Indiana governor, wrote on Twitter.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who previously served as Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, added his condolences as well.
“I’m shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski,” Buttigieg wrote on Twitter. “My thoughts and prayers are with her family and the other victims of this terrible crash.”
Walorski was first elected to the House in 2012. Before serving in Congress, she served three terms in Indiana’s statehouse.
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