Rhode Island Democratic Women’s Caucus calls for Dem strategist to resign over Graham comment

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The chief strategist of the Rhode Island Democratic Party who tweeted about Sen. Lindsey Graham’s COVID-19 diagnosis was disrespectful, her apology insufficient and she should resign from her post, the state’s Democratic Women’s Caucus said in a statement released Friday.

Kate Coyne-McCoy, the strategist, faced criticism last week after she took to Twitter shortly after Graham announced he had the virus and posted, "It’s wrong to hope he dies from Covid right? Asking for a friend. #COVIDISNOTOVER #LINDSEYGRAHAM."

The tweet was met with fierce backlash and later deleted. She tweeted, "I made a mistake. I used poor judgement which I obviously regret."

The Boston Globe reported that the caucus broke from the state’s Democratic Party back in 2019. The report pointed out that the women’s caucus mentioned that Coyne-McCoy was hired in March to, in part, train candidates prior to the crucial 2022 elections. 

"This kind of dialogue and these kinds of values do not belong in the Democratic Party—or any party," the statement read. The statement called "right-wing criticism" of Coyne-McCoy’s post "hypocritical" and said the right "must work against their own side’s efforts to bring actual violence and death in the country via insurrection, anti-vaxx conspiracies, and mask-mandate bans implemented against CDC health guidelines."

The state’s Democratic Party did not immediately respond to an after-hours email from Fox News.

The tweet has faced widespread criticism, including from the Black Lives Matter Rhode Island PAC that called for her immediate resignation. The group alerted Fox News about a tweet that she sent out in March 2020 in response to a photo of then-President Trump surrounded by his inner circle.

Coyne-McCoy responded to his post, "I am not proud of my gut reaction which is "I hope they all die."

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BLM RI PAC said that it "strongly urges RI Governor Dan McKee and House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi to call for her immediate resignation, as those views regardless of political affiliation."