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Former Michigan Rep. Paul Mitchell died at age 64 after his battle with cancer.
Mitchell, who left the Republican Party to become an Independent after Donald Trump challenged the 2020 election results, died following a diagnosis of stage 4 renal cancer.
Last December, Mitchell announced that he was leaving the party because he did not agree with Trump exercising his right to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election.
“I am immensely proud of him and never more so than when he was the lone voice in a sea of politicians who cared more about power than the true definition of the office. When he remained the lone voice and ignored the threats from those claiming to be his friends,” Mitchell’s spouse, Sherry, wrote in a statement.
Unfourtantly, Mitchell is the second Republican lawmaker to pass away recently.
Retired Wyoming Republican Sen. Mike Enzi died at age 77 after a tragic bicycling accident.
Enzi — who retired from the U.S. Senate back in January after serving 24 years in the U.S. Senate — died surrounded by family and friends, former spokesman Max D’Onofrio said.
Enzi died from injuries sustained in a bicycle accident near his home.
Enzi had been hospitalized with a broken neck and ribs for three days following a bicycle accident near Gillette.
He was stabilized before being flown to a hospital in Colorado but remained unconscious, the Associated Press reported.
Lawmakers took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to react to the tragic news.
Montana Democrat Sen. Jon Tester spoke about Enzi’s warm greetings and character.
“Every time I met Mike Enzi in the halls of the Senate, he greeted me with a ‘Hi, neighbor,’” Tester wrote. “Mike was a good man who served the people of Wyoming well.”
“Rest In Peace, neighbor,” the Democratic senator added.
Iowa GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley wrote a Twitter thread remembering Enzi as a “loving family man [and] dedicated public servant.”
“Through decades of friendship & service, I was honored to learn from Mike,” Grassley wrote. “He cared about the future of our country in every way & kept a sharp eye on Congress’ fiscal responsibilities.”
Grassley also noted that he doesn’t “often socialize in Washington,” but made an exception for attending Enzi’s “weekly” dinner at Tortilla Coast, a legendary Capitol Hill Tex-Mex eatery.
Delaware Democrat Sen. Chris Coons also posted a Twitter thread tribute to Enzi.
Coons reminisced about how he thought his first dinner with Enzi as a Senate colleague “would be brief” but they ended up talking “for hours,” becoming “good friends” in the process.
“Mike was a faithful regular at our weekly Senate prayer breakfasts and continued to participate remotely even in retirement,” the Delaware Democrat wrote. “Annie and I are praying for Diana and Mike’s family. The Senate and our country have lost a truly good man.”
Idaho Republican Sen. Jim Risch tweeted a tribute as well, noting his and his wife’s sadness over Enzi’s death.
“Mike was a giant in Wyoming politics & a great senator, but more importantly, he was a good man & a good friend,” Risch wrote. “Our hearts & our prayers are with the Enzi family.”
Many other lawmakers gave their condolences, as well, including Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., whose father, former Vice President Cheney, swore Enzi into office in 2009.
