Lesson learned: Tweeting has consequences!
Dan Kimmel
Fox reported that a Democratic candidate for the Minnesota House ended his campaign Sunday, hours after he tweeted that the Islamic State group “isn’t necessarily evil” and its members were doing what they thought was best for their community. Here’s what his tweet said (since deleted):
“ISIS isn’t necessarily evil. It is made up of people doing what they think is best for their community. Violence is not the answer, though.”
Dan Kimmel, 63, announced the end of his bid for office on his campaign website and Twitter account. He said Saturday evening’s tweet was in response to a statement made during a candidate debate, not in response to Friday’s violent attacks in Paris (yeah, right) that left more than 120 people dead and more than 350 wounded.
He said his tweet was poorly worded and didn’t convey his intent. “The tweet was stupid. I’m sorry,” he said in his statement. He was criticized on social media, and sent out another tweet later that said: “I deplore the evil acts of ISIS. I do not defend their acts.”
Kimmel, who works in the technology and operations section at U.S. Bank, was challenging incumbent Drew Christensen, a Republican from Burnsville. Kimmel had lost the seat to Christensen last year.
DCG
