STILL IN THE FIGHT

Former Rep. Katie Hill Opens Up in Op-Ed: ‘My Life Was Just Like Everyone’s Worst Nightmare’

Hill discusses the days after she resigned from Congress after she was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.

Former Rep. Katie Hill of California penned an op-ed in The New York Times, where she spoke about the aftermath of her resignation. In the op-ed, Hill discusses the days after she resigned, thinking about all she had lost. She described having suicidal thoughts, but remembered her supporters. “I ran the campaign knowing it was bigger than me and what I wanted, and it still is,” Hill wrote. “I don’t get to quit. I have to keep going forward, and be part of the fight to create the change that those young girls are counting on.” The next day, she wrote her final speech, and attended a going-away party hosted by Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), where her freshman colleagues, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), told her she “wasn’t done,” she said.

Hill also put an end to rumors that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), asked for her to resign. “[Pelosi] told me I didn’t have to do this, that the country needed me and that she wished I hadn’t made this decision, but she respected me and what I felt I needed to do,” she wrote. Hill resigned in October after she was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a member of her staff in a RedState.org article, which also published intimate photos of the congresswoman. “I don’t know exactly what’s ahead for me, and I know there’s a lot more pain ahead,” Hill wrote. “But I’m in the fight, and I’m glad it’s not all over after all.”

If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.