Jackie Walorski, 58, a Republican Representative for the State of Indiana, was killed in an automobile accident on Wednesday, along with two of her team members. Jackie Walorski and her colleagues were riding in an SUV when they collided with another car at 12:30 p.m., according to CBS. Walorski died with communications director Emma Thomson, 28, and district director Zachary Potts, 27. The driver of the second car died at the site as well.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy addressed Walorski’s untimely passing in an official statement.
He stated:
“Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office has told Dean Swihart, Jackie’s husband, that Jackie was murdered in an automobile accident this afternoon.”
Today, the United States House of Representatives sadly mourns the sudden and tragic passing of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 3, 2022
He went on:
“She has come home to live with Jesus Christ, her Lord, and Savior. Please keep her family in your prayers and thoughts. We will make no other comments at this time.”
The collision is now being investigated by the Eckhart County Sheriff’s Office.
Everything there is to know about Jackie Walorski
Jackie Walorski joined politics in 2004 after four years of working as a television reporter for WSBT-TV and running a Christian charity organization in Romania. Upon her return to the United States, she ran for the Indiana House of Representatives, finally winning the seat and embarking on a lengthy career with the Republicans. Walorski was known for enacting legislation mandating voter ID checks during elections and legislation against identity theft during her tenure as a lawmaker. She was also one of several Republicans who voted against Donald Trump’s impeachment in 2021.
In an online tweet, Indiana senator Todd Young expressed his condolences for Walorski’s death.
He stated:
“She served Indiana in the statehouse and in Congress for over two decades with honesty and conviction, and she will be much missed.”
Walorski’s last race, according to NPR, was in 2022, when she won the Republican Primary in the 2nd Congressional District. Former Vice President Mike Pence paid tribute to Walorski in a statement.
He stated:
“She served Indiana in the statehouse and in Congress for over two decades with honesty and conviction, and she will be much missed.”
President Joe Biden hailed her as a determined political worker in an official statement, adding that he recognized this even though he is a Democrat.
He stated:
“(Jackie Walorski) has dedicated her life to assisting the community in which she grew up. We may have represented opposing parties and differed on many topics, but her work was appreciated by members of both parties.”
Dean Swihart, a teacher in Penn Township, Indiana, was left behind by Jackie Walorski.