US Rep. Walter Jones, R-NC, Enters Hospice

Walter Jones, a long-time North Carolina congressman who was granted a leave of absence last year has announced he is seriously ill.

A news release on Jones' official government page says that his health has declined since he recently broke his hip. He's now in hospice care.

The release did not disclose the nature of the illness.

Jones (R-3rd) has been sick in recent months and took a leave from his duties on Capitol Hill late last year after missing several votes.

He's been a congressman for more than 20 years and his father was also a longtime politician from the eastern part of the state. Jones first ran for his father's old seat as a Democrat but lost. He switched to the GOP for the 1994 election and won, and he's served as a congressman ever since.

He originally supported the war in Iraq but ultimately changed his mind, saying his vote in favor of the war was a mistake.

He was the only North Carolina congressional candidate to run unopposed in the 2018 election. He had previously announced he would not seek re-election in 2020.