New Hampshire House Speaker dies of COVID-19

New Hampshire House Speaker Dick Hinch (R) died Wednesday of COVID-19, one week after he was elected to the position.

Hinch, 71, was House majority leader from 2015 to 2018. Republicans gained control of the state House and Senate in last month's elections, and during a speech last week, Hinch asked his fellow lawmakers to "not look at each other as Republicans and Democrats, but as friends and colleagues, working towards the same goal."

New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon MacDonald (R) announced Hinch's cause of death on Thursday afternoon. Acting Speaker Sherman Packard (R) and Senate President Chuck Morse (R) said in a statement that they will work with state health officials to see if there are "any additional, specific steps we should take, beyond our ongoing COVID-19 protocols and contact tracing, to ensure the continued protection of our legislators and staff."

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Last week, multiple GOP House members tested positive for COVID-19 after attending an indoor Republican caucus meeting, NPR reports.