Representative Ron Wright has died after contracting COVID-19, multiple sources say. He was 67 years old.
Wright was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018, representing Texas’ 6th congressional district in the Arlington area. He was reelected in November.
Wright issued a statement on Jan. 21 about his COVID-19 diagnosis, saying he contracted it after coming into contact with “an individual with the virus last week.” He said he had been in quarantine since Jan. 15.
The quarantine came two days after Wright and his fellow representatives voted on an article of impeachment against then-President Donald Trump. Wright voted against the impeachment.
About 2 weeks ago, Wright and his wife were admitted to a Dallas area hospital because of COVID-19 symptoms, the Dallas Newsreports.
Wright had been battling lung cancer after being diagnosed in 2019. In September 2020, Wright was admitted to a Dallas hospital due to complications from his cancer treatment at the time.
Wright is the first member of Congress to die from COVID-19. Last year, Representative-elect Luke Letlow from Louisiana died from complications from the coronavirus days before being sworn in.