A top Rhode Island Democratic Party official is facing local and national criticism after asking in a tweet if it was wrong to hope that U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) dies from COVID.
Graham, who has been vaccinated, announced earlier Monday that he had been infected with COVID.
The Monday night tweet by Kate Coyne-McCoy read: “It’s wrong to hope he dies from COVID, right? Asking for a friend. #CovidIsNotOver #Lindsey Graham.”
Coyne-McCoy later deleted the tweet and posted this: “I made a mistake. I used poor judgement, which I obviously regret.
Criticism by GOP activists of Coyne-McCoy’s initial tweet received coverage on Fox News.
RI GOP Chairwoman Sue Cienki called via tweet for Coyne-McCoy to immediately resign from her role with the state Democratic Party.
Coyne-McCoy ran for Congress in 2000, led a super PAC in 2014 that backed Gina Raimondo, and she has a long record as a strategist for pro-choice women candidates across the U.S. She was hired in March as chief strategist for the RI Democratic Party.
While the hiring of an outspoken progressive such as Coyne-McCoy appeared to signal a move to the left for the RI Democratic Party, she serves at the pleasure of House Speaker Joe Shekarchi (D-Warwick).
UPDATE: In a statement, Shekarchi said, “Kate Coyne-McCoy’s tweet from her personal account was offensive and it does not reflect my views or those of the Rhode Island Democratic Party. I have spoken to her and she is extremely remorseful, and I’m pleased she apologized.”
Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis@ripr.org. Follow him on Twitter @IanDon. Sign up here for his weekly RI politics and media newsletter.
