Indiana Rep. Jim Baird’s wife, Danise, died early Sunday from “complications” related to more than a dozen fractures she sustained in a hit-and-run car crash in early January.
The congressman and his wife were both originally expected “to be okay” after a “pretty bad” car crash while returning to Washington, DC on Jan. 5, President Trump announced ahead of a House Republican policy retreat the following day.
Baird’s office confirmed the matriarch’s passing in a heartbreaking statement shared Sunday morning.
“Congressman Baird and Danise were married for 59 years, building a life centered on faith, family, and service. A devoted wife and loving mother of three, she was the foundation of their family and will be deeply missed. We ask that you keep the Congressman and his family in your prayers during this difficult time,” his office wrote.
The couple, who were “high school sweethearts,” have three children together, according to the biography on the Republican’s congressional office website.
Following a devastating crash, both were hospitalized. Baird, 80, was released from the hospital on January 6 but had to wear a neck brace for a few weeks afterward. Danise, who suffered an astonishing 15 fractures and breaks, was discharged on January 12, as confirmed by their son Beau Baird in a Facebook post.
Beau — who claimed his father’s Indiana legislative seat when the elder Baird departed for the US House of Representatives — posted on Feb. 1 that Danise had taken her “first assisted steps” since the crash. In the optimistic post, he noted that the family knew “there’s still a road ahead.”
Beau said that he’d primarily been sharing updates on his father because Danise “is a very private person” with “a long recovery ahead of her.”
Then, on Sunday, Beau posted: “3/1/26 6:31:10 am” — the date and time of Danise’s passing — ahead of his father’s official confirmation of her death, the New York Post reported.
Several members of Congress and other politicians offered up their condolences.
“Jim’s wife Danise was often by his side as he worked so hard in Congress on behalf of his constituents. They are salt of the earth people and Jim and his family have sacrificed so much for our country,” New York Rep. Elise Stefanik wrote on X.
“Our sympathies and condolences to Jim and his family. We admire them both and their 59 years of marriage. I enjoyed getting to know Danise, and we’ll hold Jim in our prayers,” Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon wrote.
“Join me in praying for [Jim], my good friend [Beau] and their entire family. May the peace of God which surpasses all understanding wash over them today and in the weeks and months ahead,” Indiana State Rep. Jake Teshka added.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday said it would keep New York’s current congressional map in place, temporarily blocking a lower court ruling that had found the map violated the Constitution by diluting the voting power of black and Latino residents.
The unsigned emergency order did not include a vote count or written reasoning, which is typical for decisions issued on the court’s emergency docket. The decision allows the existing map to remain in place while appeals continue, making it likely the map will be used in the upcoming midterm elections, the New York Times reported.
The ruling was a victory for Republicans and could help them retain control of a closely divided House of Representatives.
Representative Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican whose district includes Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn, filed the emergency application after a state judge ordered her district to be redrawn.
In a statement, Malliotakis said the justices had “stopped the voters on Staten Island and in southern Brooklyn from being stripped of their ability to elect a representative who reflects their values.”
The case centers on New York’s 11th Congressional District, the only district in New York City currently held by a Republican.