A Congressional candidate in New York has been found dead in a Rural Cemetery in New York authorities say, shortly after he withdrew from the race.
41-year-old Kyle Van De Water was found dead in the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery in New York. Van De Water was an Afghanistan War veteran and former New York Republican candidate for U.S. Congress.
His death comes just 11 days after he withdrew from the 2022 congressional race for the United States Congress.
“For the good of the party, and the district,” Van De Water said on August 27th, “I have decided to withdraw my candidacy.”
“Unfortunately, circumstances in my life have changed and I am no longer able to give 110% towards this endeavor,” he added.
“I have been truly humbled by and will be forever grateful for all of the support I have received these past few years,” Van De Water continued. “It has been an honor getting to meet so many of you as I traveled across the district.”
Here were his final messages on social media before he passed away 11 days later.
Police say the death is being investigated as a “likely suicide,” according to the Mid-Hudson News.
This was Van De Water’s second attempt to run for New York’s 19th Congressional district seat.
In 2020, he was defeated by Democratic incumbent Antonio Delgado in November 2020.
Congressman Antonio Delgado sent out this tweet about the death.
Here’s more from our friends at The Western Journal.
Van De Water earned his Army commission through the ROTC program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst when he graduated in 2002, according to his campaign website. He then went on to serve in the U.S. Army Reserves while studying law at Albany Law School.
Soon after graduating in 2005, he became an active duty officer in the Judge Advocate General Corps. He was stationed at West Point, working as an administrative law attorney, before his Afghanistan deployment where he earned a Bronze Star in 2011.
He received an honorable discharge from active service in 2014 with the rank of major and continued to serve as a JAG officer in the Army Reserves.
Van De Water practiced civilian law at Corbally, Gartland and Rappleyea, LLP in Poughkeepsie, New York, as a litigation associate until February 2021. No information was available about his subsequent employment.
Van De Water’s death puts a spotlight on veteran suicide in the United States. September has been declared National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month since 2008, making the timing particularly tragic.
Van De Water was a Republican attorney who challenged incumbent Rep Delgado, a Democrat, in 2020.
He was a University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Albany Law School graduate, according to People.
Van De Water served in the Army for eight years and was deployed in Afghanistan as part of his service.
He received a Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan in 2011 and also earned the Meritorious Service medal before he was granted an honorable discharge in 2014.
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said Van De Water “was a war hero who put his life and well-being on the line for his country. We owe him, his family, and all of our brave service men and women everything for the sacrifices they have made.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and children of this hero.
Thanks to our friends from Chicks on the Right for contributing to this article.
That was nice what the sitting congressman said. He didn’t have to go to those lengths, and hopefully it was sincere.
This is on #Biden’s head.