Texas GOP Rep. Wright, who battled health issues, dies at 67

AUSTIN, Texas — Republican Rep. Ron Wright of Texas, who had lung cancer and was hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19 last month, has died, his office said Monday. Wright had said he tested positive for COVID-19 after coming into contact with an infected person, and he described his early symptoms as minor and said he would quarantine. Another Texas member of Congress, Republican U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, also announced that she had tested positive around that time. President Joe Biden called Wright “a fighter who battled bravely against both cancer and COVID-19, diseases that our nation will continue working tirelessly every day to defeat in the memory of all those we have lost.” Similar tributes rolled in, including from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who mentioned the broader toll of the pandemic.