Democratic Strategist Under Fire for Publicly Wishing Lindsey Graham Dies of COVID

A Democratic strategist was blasted on Monday night over a now-deleted tweet that asked if it was wrong to hope Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham died of COVID-19 following the announcement he had tested positive for the virus.

The tweet from Kate Coyne-McCoy read, “It’s wrong to hope he dies from Covid right? Asking for a friend.”

Coyne-McCoy later deleted the tweet, adding a new post that read, “I made a mistake. I used poor judgement which I obviously regret.”

The Democratic strategist did not explain the reason for her animosity toward Graham. The senator had been fully vaccinated and had encouraged others to get vaccinated.

Graham announced Monday night that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

“I was just informed by the House physician I have tested positive for #COVID19 even after being vaccinated. I started having flu-like symptoms Saturday night and went to the doctor this morning,” Graham tweeted.

“I feel like I have a sinus infection and at present time I have mild symptoms. I will be quarantining for ten days. I am very glad I was vaccinated because without vaccination I am certain I would not feel as well as I do now. My symptoms would be far worse,” he wrote.

Graham, 66, was vaccinated in December and has called upon others to do the same, according to Fox News.

During a visit to a hospital in Charleston this spring, Graham said “the sooner we get everybody vaccinated, the quicker we can get back to normal.”

Over the weekend, Graham was aboard a houseboat owned by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

“Senator Manchin is fully vaccinated and following the CDC guidelines for those exposed to a COVID positive individual,” Manchin’s office told Fox.

Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Jacky Rosen of Nevada also were in attendance, according to CBS News.

Both Kelly and Rosen are fully vaccinated, according to their spokespeople, and will follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fox noted Graham was wearing a mask on Capitol Hill on Monday before the announcement of his positive test.