Rep.-elect Ron Wright, R-Texas, attends a new member welcome briefing in the Capitol Visitor Center on November 15, 2018.
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
Rep. Ron Wright died Sunday weeks after contracting Covid-19, his office said Monday.
The Texas Republican was 67. Wright, who first took office in 2019, underwent treatment in recent years for lung cancer diagnosed in 2018.
He and his wife, Susan, were hospitalized in Dallas for two weeks prior to the congressman’s death while fighting the disease. The congressman announced he tested positive for Covid-19 on Jan. 21.
“As friends, family, and many of his constituents will know, Ron maintained his quick wit and optimism until the very end,” Wright’s office said in a statement. “Despite years of painful, sometimes debilitating treatment for cancer, Ron never lacked the desire to get up and go to work, to motivate those around him, or to offer fatherly advice.”
Wright is the first sitting member of Congress to die after contracting Covid-19. Luke Letlow, a Louisiana Republican elected to the House last year, died in late December from Covid-19 complications before he took office.
At least 71 representatives and senators have been diagnosed with Covid-19, according to GovTrack.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
