A “progressive Democrat” running for the 9th Congressional District, which covers parts of Lake and McHenry counties, mocked Charlie Kirk on social media after he was assassinated.
Bethany Johnson, of Evanston, reposted a photo on her social media pages from CNN with the news that “Trump ally Charlie Kirk shot at event in Utah, source says.”
Johnson captioned the image with “Gosh must be rough.”
Johnson’s post came shortly after Kirk was fatally shot at a Utah Valley University campus during an event where he was speaking on September 10.
Johnson is running as a Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, which encompasses parts of Lake, McHenry and Cook counties.
U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky currently holds the position but announced in May that she would be retiring and not seeking reelection after 14 terms in the House.
Johnson calls herself a “progressive Democrat” and touts herself as the first transgender roller derby player in Chicago.
She said she decided to run for the position after looking at the field of candidates for the 9th District and not seeing a “fighter.”
“Bethany knows firsthand what it means to face poverty, discrimination, and violence. She’s fought every step of the way, and she’s ready to keep fighting—for working people, for those too often left behind, and for everyone in District 9,” her campaign website says.
In a video posted to her social media on Thursday, Johnson held a sign in public that said, “Charlie Kirk spent his life spreading hatred toward many of the people of this district. You don’t have to mourn people who hate you.”
She called Kirk an “awful person” and said the voters of the 9th District “seem to agree.”
She also said Kirk was a “hatemonger” as she called her fellow Democrats running in the race “a bunch of d–kheads.”
“I didn’t call for Charlie Kirk’s death and I also don’t have to mourn him. You don’t have to mourn terrible people and you shouldn’t whitewash someone’s hatred and bigotry and call that politics,” Johnson said on Thursday.
Politicians, school district employees and other figures in the Chicago area have drawn backlash for their comments relating to Kirk’s assassination.
An administrative assistant in the Grass Lake School District in Antioch was fired last Friday for her social media posts and the Algonquin-based District 300 board president is facing calls to resign over her comments on social media following Kirk’s death.