GOP Congressman Don Young, Longest-Serving Member Of House, Tests Positive For COVID-19

Congressman Don Young (R-AK), 87, who is the longest-serving member currently in the House of Representatives, revealed Thursday afternoon that he has tested positive for coronavirus.

“I have tested positive for COVID-19,” tweeted Young, who serves as the only member of the House representing Alaska. “I am feeling strong, following proper protocols, working from home in Alaska, and ask for privacy at this time. May God Bless Alaska.”

I have tested positive for COVID-19. I am feeling strong, following proper protocols, working from home in Alaska, and ask for privacy at this time. May God Bless Alaska.

— Rep. Don Young (@repdonyoung) November 12, 2020

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Young’s long-time colleague, responded to the development on Twitter by calling him a “fighter.”

“My friend and colleague Congressman Don Young is a fighter. I’m glad to hear he’s doing well and will be praying for his health and recovery, along with all those impacted by #COVID19,” she tweeted. 

My friend and colleague Congressman Don Young is a fighter. I’m glad to hear he’s doing well and will be praying for his health and recovery, along with all those impacted by #COVID19. https://t.co/USpuJhvV3q

— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) November 12, 2020

First elected via special election in 1973, Young is currently the oldest living member of both chambers of Congress, surpassing long-time California Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) in age by less than a month.

Young also holds the distinction of being the House Dean — a title reserved for the longest-serving continuous member of the House, of which the only formal responsibility is to swear in the speaker-elect. He was recently projected as the winner of his congressional race, beating out an independent challenger to secure a 25th term.

His challenger, Alyse Galvin, a community organizer who vowed to caucus with Democrats, has been projected as having lost the race by 14 points, according to The New York Times election tracker. However, with only 77% of precincts reporting thus far, Young’s final margin of victory is still subject to change.

Since becoming the 49th state in 1959, Alaska has only ever elected four congressmen to the House of Representatives, with Young having been the most recent addition.

He won his race in a March 1973 special election after incumbent Congressman Nicholas Begich (D-AK), who beat Young several months earlier, disappeared a month ahead of the 1972 general election. Begich, whose body was never found, was declared dead in December, and is believed to have died in a plane crash while campaigning in the state.

Young also recently became the longest-serving Republican in the House of Representatives, having surpassed Congressman Joseph Gurney Cannon, who served 46 years in the House non-continuously between 1873 and 1923.

However, Young is not the longest-serving member of the House of Representatives ever. That distinction belongs to the late Congressman John Dingell (D-MI), who represented Michigan for nearly six decades from 1955 to 2015.