A former New York Congress candidate died Tuesday in an apparent suicide, less than two weeks after withdrawing his candidacy for the U.S. House, according to government officials and reports.
Afghanistan war veteran Kyle Van De Water, 41, who showed up last year to get a seat in the U.S. home that represents part of the Hudson Valley region in New York, was found dead in Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery, according to MidHudsonNews.com.
Sources told the publication that his death was being investigated as “probable suicide.”
Van De Water had run as a Republican last year in an unsuccessful attempt to oust U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado and had briefly thrown his hat in the ring for a second run in Congress, reports report.
Delgado said in a statement that his “heart is broken by Kyle and his beautiful family.
“We shared several conversations about family and country, and I moved away from each other knowing I had a deep love for both of us,” Delgado said.
He did not mention any cause of death, but shared the number of a veterans crisis line.
“Kyle’s death is tragically felt not only on an individual level, but also on a national level, as there are too many veterans across our country without the support and care they certainly need in their service in our great land. Delgado said.
“We can and must do better. May God rest Kyle’s soul and may God bless his family.
Marc Molinaro, Dutchess County Executive he said on Twitter that his prayers were with the family of the Army veteran as they tried to deal with this tragedy.
“Kyle was a war hero who put his life and well-being on the line of his country,” said Molinaro, who ran as governor of the GOP line in 2018. “We owe it to him, to his family and to all our brave service men and women all for the sacrifices they have made. “
Van De Water was born in Rhinebeck and grew up in Poughkeepsie, according to the biography on his website. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Albany Law School, before active duty in the military, according to the biography.
According to The Poughkeepsie Journal, the candidate said in July he planned to run for a seat in the House in 2022, but posted on social media on August 27 saying he was ending his candidacy.
“It has really humiliated me and I will always be grateful for all the support I have received in recent years,” Van De Water said. wrote August 27th.
“It has been an honor to meet so many of you as I traveled the district. Unfortunately, the circumstances of my life have changed and I am no longer able to give 110% to this effort. “
“For the good of the party and the district, I have decided to withdraw my candidacy,” he said. “I hope to be able to enthusiastically and enthusiastically support the Republican Party candidate in 2022.”
If you have problems with suicidal thoughts or have a mental health crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 24 hours a day at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.