Aaron Nesmith emerges as the X-factor fueling Indiana Pacers’ quest for back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals glory

Emerging as the Unlikely Hero: Aaron Nesmith’s Rise

In the high-stakes arena of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, every team seeks that unexpected edge, a player who can tip the scales in their favor. For the Indiana Pacers, that edge appears to be Aaron Nesmith, an athlete whose journey from a role player to a potential game-changer encapsulates the unpredictable nature of basketball success.

Nesmith’s evolution over the past two seasons with the Indiana Pacers has been nothing short of remarkable. Initially recognized for his defensive prowess and reliability from beyond the arc, Nesmith has transformed into a player whose contributions cannot be overstated. His shooting, in particular, has reached new heights, making him one of the league’s most efficient scorers from long range.

This remarkable improvement in his game has not only bolstered the Pacers’ offense but also solidified their defense, allowing them to maintain pressure on both ends of the court. Nesmith’s ability to seamlessly blend scoring with defensive tenacity makes him a quintessential 3-and-D player, a valuable asset in today’s NBA landscape.

As the Pacers continue their journey through the playoffs, the spotlight on Nesmith is bound to intensify. His ability to rise to the occasion, to transform from a supporting player into a potential X-factor, speaks volumes about his character and work ethic. It’s a testament to the idea that in basketball, stars can emerge from the most unexpected places.

Nesmith’s story is far from over. With the Eastern Conference Finals on the horizon, his performances could very well dictate the Pacers’ fate. It’s a challenge he seems ready to embrace, a chance to prove that his emergence as a key player for Indiana is no fluke.

A Reflection on Unlikely Heroes

Aaron Nesmith’s journey with the Indiana Pacers serves as a reminder of the unpredictable beauty of sports. It highlights how determination, coupled with opportunity, can propel an athlete from the fringes to the forefront of their team’s success. As the Pacers gear up for their playoff battles, Nesmith stands as a symbol of hope, a player whose story inspires both his teammates and fans alike.

His rise underscores the essence of basketball—a game where heroes can emerge in the most unexpected moments, changing the course of history. For the Indiana Pacers, Nesmith represents not just a potential X-factor in their playoff run but a beacon of what dedication and belief can achieve in the quest for greatness.

Aaron Nesmith played a major role in the Indiana Pacers' shocking Game 1 victory over the New York Knicks, mostly for his performance in the clutch. In the win, Nesmith hit six three-point field goals in the fourth quarter. This was tied for the most three-point field goals in a  single quarter in the playoffs, alongside big names like Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, and Damian Lillard.

Wednesday night was like a movie for the Pacers as they pulled off a miraculous comeback late in the game. After securing the stunning victory, they are now just three wins away from  making it to the NBA finals and seven wins away from winning their first NBA Championship in franchise history. Many players stepped up for them when they needed it, but without Nesmith nearly making history, the Pacers never would have gotten the opportunity to pull off the comeback and inch closer to making their championship dreams come true.

Aaron Nesmith was lights-out in Game 1
Pascal Siakam is crucial to Indiana's success
The Knicks have the best clutch player in the series
Bennedict Mathurin loves playing against the Knicks 

Hopefully for the Pacers, they do not need Nesmith to have another near-perfect performance to steal another victory away from New York in Game 2. However, they should at least feel great knowing that he has this in him. Nesmith has developed into one of the Pacers' most important players because of his contributions on both sides of the ball. He is a great defender who brings the energy, but he is also a fantastic three-point shooter, which was obvious on Wednesday.

In order for the Pacers to build off this momentum and continue their hot streak into the rest of the series, they will need the whole team to bring their A-game. This will include Nesmith, whose late-game heroics may have single-handedly saved the Pacers in Game 1. While he is not their best player, Nesmith is proving to be one of the most valuable players on Indiana's roster. If he stays hot, the Knicks may not even stand a chance against a Pacers team that continues to shock the world  time and time again.

For the second year in a row, the Indiana Pacers will appear in the Eastern Conference Finals. After losing to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in a four-game sweep last year, the Pacers will look to right their wrongs and make it to the NBA Finals this year for the first time since 2000. The Pacers have one obstacle in their way, and it is a well-known one in the New York Knicks.

Indiana and New York have history with one another, and this is just the latest chapter in their story. The two teams have gone head-to-head in the conference finals three times in the past, with the Knicks having won two of those series. Furthermore, the last time both teams made the NBA Finals, they defeated the other in the conference finals.

The Pacers defeated the Knicks in the playoffs last year in a thrilling seven-game battle in the second round, and they will hope for the same result this year. In the regular season, the Knicks won the season series 2-1, though they did not meet up after the All-Star break.

Here is the full 2025 Eastern Conference Finals schedule.

Since the Knicks enter the series as the No. 3 seed, they will have homecourt advantage over the No. 4 seed Pacers. Each game will be played every other day, starting on Wednesday, May 21. Additionally, every game will be played at 8 PM EST on TNT on cable and MAX on streaming.

What makes this conference finals even more interesting is that it will be the final playoff series aired on TNT  as their NBA deal will expire after this season. This Pacers and Knicks matchup being TNT's final call is a bit poetic, especially considering that Reggie Miller will be on the call throughout the whole series. Miller, a Pacers legend, is well aware of the team's rivalry with the Knicks and played a big role in it in the 1990s.

Both of these teams match up with each other on paper, and given their long and short-term history, this series has the makings to be a very intense battle. The winner of the series will punch their ticket to the NBA Finals. Indiana has never won an NBA Championship, and the Knicks have not won one since 1973. However, one of these teams will have the opportunity to  buck that trend this season.

The New York Knicks are one of the best three-point defending teams in the NBA Playoffs, and the Pacers have just the guy to work around that in the conference finals--Pascal Siakam. Through 12 playoff games, the Knicks are forcing teams to shoot just 34% from beyond the arc. This includes a six-game series against the Boston Celtics, who rely heavily on the three-ball.

Indiana has been the best three-point shooting team in the playoffs by a wide margin, shooting 40.6%  from three-point land. It would make sense for them to keep doing what has worked for them so far, but it could also be wise to change things up to counteract New York's perimeter defense. In doing so, they would have to rely heavily on Siakam, whose play in the post and in the mid-range could be what decides this series.

In his first full year with the Pacers, Siakam has continued to elevate them on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he has added a completely new dynamic to the team due to his mid-range prowess. Against the Knicks, who have fantastic perimeter defenders in guys like Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, the Pacers will need Siakam to be on his A-game in case they opt to stay inside the perimeter a bit more.

The Pacers and Knicks  will meet up on Wednesday  for Game 1 of the conference finals. Whichever team wins will punch their ticket to the NBA Finals. Neither team has made it that far in over two decades, but one of them will buck that trend this year.

Both teams have a lot going for them heading into the matchup. Furthermore, they are both pretty evenly matched, meaning that making adjustments and executing the gameplan will be crucial for both teams. Heading into the series, it will be worth monitoring what changes head coach Rick Carlisle makes for the Pacers, both in terms of strategy and the rotation. More specifically, it will be interesting to see if the Pacers move away from the three-ball a bit against New York, or if they will continue to let it fly.

Indiana will rely heavily on their top players  to send the knicks home, but arguably none of them will be as important as Siakam. The one-time NBA Champion continues to prove his value with the Pacers, and he is crucial to their dreams of making it back to the NBA Finals.

The Indiana Pacers have become one of the most clutch teams in the NBA, particularly in the postseason. However, the New York Knicks have an advantage in this area, and that could prove to be detrimental to the Pacers.

On Wednesday night, the Pacers and Knicks will meet up for Game 1 of  the Eastern Conference Finals. This should be an intense series as the winner will return to the NBA Finals, where neither team has been in over two decades. Additionally, each game could come down to the wire as both teams match up well with each other, and that may be a bigger advantage for the Knicks, despite Indiana's clutch performances.

According to NBA.com, the Pacers have a 169 ORTG in clutch situations  this postseason, which is the best in the league. As for the Knicks, their 114.3 ORTG in the clutch is sixth-best. Indiana is the better team in the clutch, and the stats prove that. However, the Knicks have Jalen Brunson, who is continuing to build his reputation as a bit of a late-game hero.

In the regular season, Brunson hit 16 go-ahead or game-tying shots  within the last two minutes of a game. This was the most in the NBA. Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton had 10 such shots, however, which was fourth-most in the league.

If any game in the conference finals comes down to the wire, the ball will be in the hands of Brunson or Haliburton, depending on the situation. Based on the numbers, this is a better situation for the Knicks and their top guy. Furthermore, they have an  88.2 DRTG in the clutch  this postseason, which ranks as the second-best, only behind the Minnesota Timberwolves. Even if the Pacers get the ball late in a close game, the Knicks have proven they have what it takes to put an end to any late-game heroics.

Both teams got this far for a reason, and it is because they each show up when the lights are at their brightest. The Pacers and Knicks are each fantastic teams in the clutch, which is crucial in the playoffs, when every single game counts. Each team has a lot going well for them heading into the conference finals, but only one of them can advance and get one step closer to  bringing an NBA championship home. There will be a lot of different factors that will decide who wins the series, and that could include something as simple as which team has the ball in their hands last.

Bennedict Mathurin is quietly becoming a bit of a "New York Knicks killer," and that bodes well for the Indiana Pacers ahead of their conference finals matchup.

The Pacers are back in the conference finals for the second year in a row. They made an appearance last year, but they ultimately got swept by the eventual champion Boston Celtics. This time around, they will have an opportunity to right their wrongs against the Knicks, one of their biggest rivals in franchise history. In order to do so, they will rely heavily on their top players who got them this far in the first place. However, they should also utilize Mathurin often as his track record against the Knicks is undeniable.

This series will be crucial for Mathurin's pacers career in the long run. However, fortunately for him, he has a lot going well for him, given who he is going up against.

While the Knicks will focus their attention on Pacers players like Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner, they also need to keep an eye on Mathurin. In three games against New York this season, the Canadian native averaged 25.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 61% from the field and 52.6% from beyond the arc. This includes a fantastic 38-point performance in November, when he shot 13-for-18 from the field and 7-for-9 from the three-point line.

In two of his three games against the Knicks, Mathurin came off the bench, where he has excelled for much of the season. Mathurin is a fantastic bench scorer for Indiana, and he should have a great opportunity to further prove that in the conference finals.

The Pacers will need to bring their A-game to send the Knicks home for the second year in a row and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in over two decades. This includes Mathurin, who could play a big role in the series.

If the Arizona alum can continue his hot streak against the Knicks, the Pacers will be in a great spot. Mathurin provides a lot of value on the court, especially on the offensive side of the ball, and this has the makings of being a big series for him. Whether he will be able to rise to the occasion or not remains to be seen. Regardless, Mathurin's performances against the Knicks this season speak for themselves, and it could be an indication of what  sends them home early once again.

 

Jelena Dokic’s father, known for abusing the tennis star, dead at 67

Jelena Dokic’s abusive father Damir has died, the former tennis star announced on Instagram on Wednesday evening.

Damir, who was believed to be 67 years old, died last Friday, Jelena confirmed in a social media post.

“My father passed away in the late hours on 16.05.2025,” she wrote.

Despite everything and no matter how hard, difficult and in the last 10 years even non-existent our relationship and communication was, it is never easy losing a parent and a father even one you are estranged from.

“The loss of an estranged parent comes with a difficult and complicated grief.

“It’s an end of a chapter and life as I know it.”

Just last week, Jelena talked excitedly about the prospect of becoming a mother and her desire to adopt.

Dokic, who turned 42 last month, is a beloved figure in Australian sports.

The former world No. 4 tennis player survived physical and emotional abuse from her father Damir to forge a successful career as a commentator and author.

Dokic continued in her post she had “complex emotions” about Damir’s death and was trying to focus on good memories of her father.

“There are lots of conflicting and complex emotions and feelings for me,” she continued.

“For the end of this chapter, I choose to focus on a good memory like this picture (see above).

“And as always and especially important to who I am as a person and what I want to stand for which is respect, grace, kindness, dignity and empathy, I will and want to be that person in this situation too. For now, I will leave it there.

“Please respect mine and the rest of my family’s privacy at this time. Thank you to so many of you for checking in on me over the last few days and for being here for me while I navigate this difficult and complicated situation.

“And my final words. RIP.”

Dokic’s post has received an outpouring of love from a wide variety of people, including some well known names in Australian sport and beyond.

Posted around 6.15pm AEST, it already has over 21,000 likes and more than 1700 comments.

Author Jessica Rowe commented: “YOU are a remarkable woman … I’m sending you lots of love.”

Tennis great and fellow commentator Todd Woodbridge wrote: “Proud of how far you have come.”

Former Australian of the Year and fellow abuse survivor Grace Tame offered: “Thinking of you. We love you.”

Olympic swimming champion Shayna Jack wrote simply: “Thinking of you.”

Dokic’s heartbreaking story of resilience has inspired Australians for many years.

In a new revelation last week, the tennis great turned commentator said while she doesn’t hate her father, she could never forgive him for the physical and mental abuse he put her through.

Dokic broke onto the tennis scene at just 16 years of age in 1999 as a qualifier at Wimbledon, where she stunningly upset world No. 1 Martina Hingis before going on to reach the quarter-finals.

The following year, she reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon – her best-ever grand slam result – but hidden behind the promising start to her career was a dark story that would eventually derail her career.

At the height of Dokic’s career, her father Damir made her turn her back on Australia and switch allegiances to Yugoslavia, which saw her booed at the Australian Open by Aussie fans who blamed her

Dokic was born in Croatia when it was still part of Yugoslavia but moved to Australia with her family at age 11. It was a move she deeply regretted and never wanted.

From there on things went from bad to worse and as her promising career deteriorated with her father largely to blame, the tennis world began to wrap its arms around a broken Dokic.

But it was only in the last few years the depths of her abuse were actually revealed.

On the latest episode of the Mental As Anyone podcast, Dokic detailed some of the horrendous abuse she suffered that had her believing her father may actually kill her.

“I was kicked and punched in the head so hard that it left me unconscious and navigating through that at home, but at the same time, putting on — let’s say a brave face — and being able to go out there on the court and perform,” Dokic said.

“I did leave home at the age of 19, escaped during a tennis tournament because the beatings were getting so violent and I didn’t know if I was going to survive the next one.”

However, despite being a victim, Dokic said she didn’t want to be viewed as that but as a survivor who has become an undoubted success in the face of adversity.

With the news of her father’s passing, that horrendous chapter of her life has now come to a close.

FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES

 .Final Destination Bloodlines is a 2025 American supernatural horror films directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein and written by Guy Busick  and Lori Evans Taylor, based on a story developed by them and Jon Watts. It is the sixth installment in the final destination film series  following final destination 5  (2011). The film stars Kaitlyn Santa Juana  as a college student who inherits visions of a previous premonition that averted a deadly structural failure in 1968 from her dying grandmother and is warned that Death  is coming for her family. Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Brec Bassinger, and  Tony Todd appear in supporting roles.

After the commercial success of Final Destination 5, a new film entered development, described as a "re-imagining" of the franchise. In March 2020, series producer Craig Perry said the film would be set "in the world of first responders" and in October that year, series creator Jeffrey Reddick confirmed it was the sixth film in the franchise. In January 2022, the film was planned to be released on the streaming service HBO Max, with Lipovsky and Stein as directors and Busick joining Taylor as co-writer for the film. In March 2024, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that the film would instead receive a theatrical release. Filming took place in Vancouver from March to May 2024, following delays due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Final Destination Bloodlines was released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on May 16, 2025. It received generally favorable reviews from critics, becoming the best-reviewed film in the franchise, and has grossed $116.9 million worldwide.

Plot

In 1968, Iris Campbell and her fiancé Paul attend the opening ceremony  of the Skyview, a high-rise restaurant tower. At the dance party, Iris has a premonition of a chandelier's shard cracking the glass floor beneath the guests while a gas leak explodes, collapsing the tower and killing everyone.

In the present, college student Stefani Reyes suffers from recurring nightmares about the collapse. Realizing that the nightmares are linked to her maternal grandmother, Iris, she returns home seeking answers and is greeted by her father, Marty, and her estranged brother, Charlie. The siblings visit their uncle Howard, aunt Brenda, and cousins Erik, Julia, and Bobby. When Stefani asks Howard about Iris, he explains that Iris subjected him and Stefani's mother Darlene to an overprotective upbringing, then became reclusive, causing Darlene to abandon the family. Brenda helps Stefani find letters from Iris, leading her to a fortified cabin where Iris now lives.

Terminally ill, Iris tells Stefani she disrupted Death's design by preventing the tower's collapse, saving the lives of everyone there that night. As a result, Death began killing the survivors in the order they would've died at the Skyview, along with their descendants who were never meant to exist. Paul later died in an accident, prompting Iris to document Death's omens in a book and live in isolation to prevent it from going after her family. Though Stefani is skeptical, Iris leaves the cabin to give her the book and allows herself to be impaled by a weather vane to prove her claims.

After Iris's funeral, Darlene returns, but Stefani resents her for being absent since childhood. Stefani reads Iris' book and sees a reference to someone Iris knew named JB, who found someone that defeated Death. During a family barbecue, a chain reaction causes Howard to be killed by a lawn mower. That night, another chain reaction causes a fire at Erik's tattoo shop, but he survives due to his leather clothing. Stefani and Charlie meet Erik on the road to protect him from street hazards, but Julia is crushed to death by a garbage truck's compactor. The family realizes that Death is coming for them in order of age, starting with Howard's branch of the family before moving onto Darlene's. Marty and Brenda are spared, as they are not blood relatives, and Erik is spared due to being the result of Brenda's affair.

Darlene suggests visiting JB at a hospital, who turns out to be William Bludworth. Present at the Skyview as a child and the last to die in the premonition, he reveals that he spent most of his life exchanging ideas with Iris to learn Death's rules. He explains two ways to defeat Death: taking another life or dying and being revived, citing Kimberly Corman  as a successful example. Retiring from his job as the coroner, Bludworth leaves the hospital, expecting to succumb to his own illness after Iris's bloodline dies, and wishes the family luck before departing.

Erik convinces Bobby to employ Bludworth's second strategy, where he feeds Bobby a snack containing nuts, which he is allergic to, so he could be subsequently revived. The plan backfires when a malfunctioning MRI machine rips Erik's piercings out, pulls him in, and impales him with a wheelchair. A coil from a vending machine is also launched and drilled into Bobby's head. Despite Erik seemingly being safe, Stefani reasons that his intervention trying to help Bobby put him on the list too. Stefani, Charlie and Darlene decide to drive to Iris's cabin, intending to hide from Death. The RV crashes, and Stefani's seatbelt jams. The cabin explodes after a chain reaction, sending the RV into water as Stefani begins to drown. Darlene saves Charlie and pleads with him to rescue Stefani before a lamp post bisects her. Charlie breaks the seatbelt and successfully resuscitates Stefani with CPR.

A week later, the father of Charlie's prom date tells the siblings that Stefani was not dead when Charlie revived her since her heart never stopped. At that moment, a train derails into the neighborhood, causing several logs to fall onto Stefani and Charlie, killing them.

 

Why shoppers are boycotting Walmart again after March’s ‘economic blackout’

Shoppers have started to boycott Walmart for a second time, two months after March's economic blackout. 

Advocacy group People’s Union USA announced there would be a boycott of Walmart from May 20 to May 26 after accusing the company of “crushing small businesses” and “underpaying” its employees.

The boycott  includes both in-store and online shopping at Walmart locations and affiliated Walmart-branded companies, such as Sam’s Club, as well as private label brands such as Great Value and Equate.

John Schwarz, the founder of the People’s Union, posted a video Tuesday on Instagram explaining the reasoning for the boycott, telling his followers, “After all the record profits, all the tax loopholes, all the corporate greed, Walmart now once again wants to raise prices.”

“But this time, because of the tariffs, as if they're not already raking in billions, as if they can't absorb the cost. As if you and I should carry this burden.”

Schwarz and the People’s Union previously organized a week-long "economic blackout" back in march, where consumers were asked to avoid making purchases from Amazon’s main site as well as the other companies it owns, including Amazon Alexa, IMDb, Prime Video, Ring, Twitch, Whole Foods, and Zappos.

At the time, Schwarz told CNET the objective of the “calculated strike” is simple: for Amazon to record a dip in sales

.

In an Instagram post, Schwarz described how to “hit” Amazon the hardest and take a stand against its impact on small businesses and treatment of workers after the company reported a 10 percent year-on-year increase in net sales in Q4 2024 to almost $188 billion last month.

"We're using the one tool that always makes them listen, money," said The People's Union USA on its website. "Economic resistance is our frontline weapon. And behind that, we've got something they'll never understand: resilience, strength, and the will to endure. They raise prices, we stop spending. They ignore our voices, we cut their profits. They divide, we unite." "What we can do is hold these companies accountable for not paying their fair share of taxes, for price gouging and for inequality," said John Schwarz, the group's founder.

“If you want to focus your firepower, you target what you use the most,” he said.

It was not immediately clear how many people were due to participate in the boycott.

Prior to the Amazon boycott, the People’s Union took aim at corporate giants with a sweeping consumer blackout, which urged consumers against making purchases at major retailers for 24 hours.

Schwarz told CNN that the movement “went international,” adding: “Every country has messaged me, people from all over the world commenting on the videos. ‘How can we stand in solidarity?’”

However, an analysis from digital retail consultancy company Momentum Commerce showed Amazon had slightly higher sales that day.

The organization has other boycotts planned throughout the next couple of weeks, including a Target boycott from June 3 to June 9, a McDonald’s boycott from June 24 to June 30, and an Independence Day boycott on July 4.

The organisation's digital platform states its primary objectives: addressing corporate exploitation, ensuring business accountability, and highlighting practices that have affected American society adversely over many years.

 

Gerry Connolly, Democratic Congressman of Virginia, Dies at Age 75

Connolly defeated New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for the top Democratic post on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in December, putting him in a position to be a prominent antagonist of President Trump during his second term.

Connolly’s decision to seek that leadership position last fall divided Democrats, reigniting a debate over age, health and the party’s preference to fill leadership pots on seniority. Those conversations have intensified in the wake of former President Joe Biden’s recent cancer diagnosis.  

By late April, Connolly said that his illness was forcing him to step aside from the committee role and announced his plan to retire at the end of his congressional term.

The district is solidly Democratic and is expected to remain in the party’s hands. In one of his final public statements, Connolly endorsed James Walkinshaw, his former chief of staff, as his replacement. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, hasn’t announced a timeline for the election to fill the seat.

Connolly was elected to Congress in 2008 after more than a decade serving on the Fairfax County board of supervisors.

Born in Boston in 1950, Gerald Edward Connolly studied literature at Maryknoll College in Illinois and later graduated from Harvard with an M.A. in Public Administration in 1979.

After graduating, he spent a decade working on the staff of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, focusing on policy including the oversight of international economic issues, the Middle East and the United Nations. Connolly also worked in the nonprofit sector, primarily advocating for hunger aid and international assistance.

He is survived by his wife Cathy and daughter Caitlin.

Connolly is leaving behind a legacy as a legislator who fought for the federal workforce, government contractors and the economic development of his home region of Northern Virginia.
In April, Connolly announced he would not seek re-election in 2026 and would step down from his post as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. He first announced his diagnosis in November, shortly after easily winning a ninth term to the House.
“Gerry lived his life to give back to others and make our community better,”  his family wrote in a statement. “He looked out for the disadvantaged and voiceless.”
Connolly was an outspoken advocate for federal workers, many of whom lived in his district in Fairfax County. He authored the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 that established a framework for telework across government. He consistently introduced legislation promoting pay raises for federal employees.
He was also a harsh critic of the second Trump administration's efforts to rollback protections for federal workers.
He helped write the 2014 Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act, known as FITARA, which sought to streamline how the government buys technology. He also championed the Modernizing Government Technology Act, which established the Technology Modernization Fund.
Even with opposing many of the Trump administration’s initiatives, he leaves a legacy of bipartisanship through across the aisle on FITARA and the MGT Act.
“He got the big picture, so we worked on lot of things together,” said Tom Davis, a Republican who retired from Congress in 2008, clearing the way for Connolly to take his seat. “He was the first call I made when I decided not to run again.”
They were members of opposing parties, but Davis said Connolly picked up where he left off on issues involving federal procurement.