RI Democratic women's group calls for resignation of party operative for Lindsey Graham tweet

The strategist, hired to train candidates ahead of the 2022 election, faced immediate backlash to her tweet.

After Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced a week ago that he'd tested positive for COVID-19, the chief strategist of the Rhode Island Democratic Party, Kate Coyne-McCoy, tweeted: "It's wrong to hope he dies from Covid right? Asking for a friend. #COVIDISNOTOVER #LINDSEYGRAHAM"

Following immediate backlash from across the political spectrum, Coyne-McCoy issued this half-hearted apology: "I made a mistake. I used poor judgement which I obviously regret."

On Friday, the state's Democratic Women's Caucus said the strategist's tweet was disrespectful and her apology insufficient.

"We need to hold our leaders accountable," read a tweet from the group accompanying a statement calling for the operative's resignation.

"This kind of dialogue and these kinds of values do not belong in the Democratic Party — or any party," the group declared, before calling upon the Republican Party to end "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."