Rep. Gerry Connolly finds online attention at impeachment trial

Helen Ehrlich, Editor-In-Chief|January 14, 2021

Image via C-SPAN/Gerry Connolly’s Twitter

Representative Gerald “Gerry” Connolly, representative of Virginia’s 11th District, spoke during the impeachment proceedings. The 11th District comprises most of Fairfax County, starting in Quantico and running through Herndon. Connolly was proxy voting for Nevada’s District 1 Democratic Representative Dina Titus. 

 

Connolly’s powerful imploring to Republicans caught national attention, as he referred to the violence seen in the Capitol Building the week prior (read more here.) He said, “This is a moment of truth, my friends. Are you on the side of chaos and the mob? Or on the side of constitutional democracy and our freedom?”

The footage of Connolly’s speech began to spread across platforms like Twitter and TikTok. The gravitas with which he spoke entertained and enthused many viewers.  Many discussed the humor of his passion, while also supporting it. One commenter replied, “…I love Gerry…”

 

Many TikTok users were confused by Connolly accent. While Northern Virginia is a melting pot region with numerous different dialects, Connolly’s strong Boston accent caught some viewers by surprise. One viewer replied, “I am from his district and I have absolutely no idea what accent he’s doing go Gerry.” Another commented, “WAIT HE’S FROM NOVA WHERE DID THAT ACCENT COME FROM…” 

 

Connolly was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, though he went to high school in Pennsylvania and college in Illinois (both schools have since been renamed/absorbed into other institutions). He then attended school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, earning his masters at Harvard University. Connolly began working in DC in the Senate in 1979 and has held his current seat since 2008, after serving on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors since 1995.

The representative for whom he was voting has also caught some attention for her similar accent situation. Titus has a thick Georgian accent, despite representing  Las Vegas and other regions of Nevada. She is also connected to Virginia, as a graduate of William & Mary University.

 

Despite the attention he garnered during these impeachment proceedings, Connolly also strongly supported impeachment the first time President Trump was impeached. In a historically bipartisan impeachment, and for the first time in U.S. history that a president has been impeached twice, the U.S. House of Representatives impeached Trump.