Washington – Indiana Republican Rep. Jackie Walorski died in a car crash Wednesday, the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office said.
Sheriff Jeff Siegel said Walorski, 58, was in an SUV traveling southbound when another car was hit head-on shortly after 12:30 p.m. The three occupants of the vehicle: Walorski, his district manager, Zachery Potts, 27, and the director of communications. Emma Thomson, 28, died as a result of her injuries.
The sole occupant of the other car involved in the crash, which was traveling northbound, was also pronounced dead at the scene, according to Siegel.
Photo by Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call
An investigation by the Elkhart County Coroner’s Office and the Sheriff’s Office is ongoing.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered flags on the U.S. Capitol to fly at half-staff, her spokesman Drew Hammill said. White House flags will also be flown at half-staff on Wednesday and Thursday in Walorski’s memory, the White House said.
Walorski was elected to represent Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes South Bend, in 2012 after serving three terms in the state. She was the top Republican on the House Ethics Committee and served on the Ways and Means Committee.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy confirmed Walorski’s death in a statement tweeted from his office, noting that her husband, Dean Swihart, had been informed that the congresswoman had been killed in the coll… lesion
It is with a heavy heart that I share this statement from the Office of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski. pic.twitter.com/UEPoKBDf5N
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) August 3, 2022
“He has returned home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” the statement said. “Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.”
Indiana Senator Mike Braun told reporters: “I just found out an hour or so ago. It’s one of those things that takes your absolute breath away. I was on the phone and I got a text . I spent a lot of time with Jackie. I got to know her early on when I got my neck in the political arena.” He said she was “always a good friend” and added: “when it’s close to home and you know people, it’s hard to pass up.”
Tributes to Walorski came quickly from elected officials on both sides of the aisle and members of Indiana’s congressional delegation.
President Biden said in a statement that he and first lady Jill Biden were “shocked and saddened” by the news. Walorski “spent his entire life serving the community where he grew up,” he said. “We may have represented different parties and disagreed on many issues, but members of both parties respected her for her work.”
Rep. Kevin Brady, the top Republican on the Ways and Means panel, said the congresswoman was “the ‘happy Hoosier’ who would light up a room with her joy, passion, brilliance and love of life.”
“There is nothing [Walorski] couldn’t do,” he he tweeted.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-New York, he said on Twitter she is “absolutely heartbroken” and “my heart goes out to the families of each of the victims,” while Indiana Rep. Jim Banks praised Walorski as a “true public servant: selfless, humble and compassionate.”
“From my first day in Congress, Jackie showed me kindness and grace,” he said in a statement. “She had a heart of gold, and I will miss her dearly.”
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who also represented Indiana in the House before serving as governor, said he and his wife are praying for Walorski’s family and the families of Potts and Thomson.
“He served Indiana in the legislature and in Congress with integrity and principle for nearly two decades and will be greatly missed,” he said in a couple of tweets.
Indiana Sen. Todd Young tweeted that he is “truly devastated” by Walorski’s death, saying he “loved Hoosiers and dedicated his life to fighting for them. I will never forget his spirit, his positive attitude and, above all, their friendship.
Alan I contributed to this report.
