An Afghanistan war veteran and former U.S. congressional candidate has been found dead in a cemetery in upstate New York.
The body of Kyle Van de Water, who ran an unsuccessful GOP congressional campaign in 2020, was found on September 7th in a Poughkeepsie graveyard.
According to police, the former congressional candidate committed suicide, but authorities have not elaborated on the details of the incident or indicated whether he left a note.
Van de Water was a military veteran and a married father of four, and had lost in his 2020 congressional bid against Democrat Rep. Antonio Delgado.
According to reporting from New York Daily News, “Van de Water had considered mounting another challenge to Delgado in 2022, but last month announced he would not run again.”
In a post on Twitter, Van de Water’s former rival paid tribute to him for his love of family and country.
“May God rest Kyle’s soul,” Delgado tweeted, sharing a statement about Van de Water’s death.
The statement read:
“My heart breaks for Kyle, and his beautiful family. We shared a number of conversations about family and country, and I walked away from each one knowing that he had a profound love for both.
I know he will be immensely missed, and I’m praying for all who loved him — his friends, fellow soldiers, and family. Kyle’s death is tragically felt not only on an individual level, but also nationally, as far too many veterans across our country are going without the support and care that their service to our great land undoubtedly necessitates.
We can and must do better. May God rest Kyle’s soul. And may God bless his family.”
The congressman also included a phone number for a crisis hotline for troubled veterans at the end of his statement, writing: “To reach the Veterans Crisis Line, call 1-800-273-8255 & press 1.”
May God rest Kyle’s soul. And may God bless his family. pic.twitter.com/5brIW5cesM
— Congressman Antonio Delgado (@repdelgado) September 7, 2021