MN Politician Responds To Williams' Death With Campaign Tweet
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A number of political observers and politicians alike took umbrage with a Minnesota politician's response to news of the death of comedian and actor Robin Williams.
On Monday, Republican Party deputy chair Chris Fields responded to a tweet posted by DFL social media director Ellen C. Anderson, which read "My cat's nickname is Nanu Nanu. The world is lucky Robin Williams was able to share his genius with so many."
Fields' tweeted reply read:
https://twitter.com/ChrisFieldsMN/statuses/498981540173737984 width="345"
Jeff Johnson is the Republican Party-endorsed candidate in the gubernatorial race.
Fields' tweet led to a number of responses, including one from a State Representative and Michael Brodkorb, the former deputy chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota:
[tweet https://twitter.com/carlymelin/statuses/498983496007041024 width="345"]
Fields replied to critics:
https://twitter.com/ChrisFieldsMN/statuses/498984089626898432
Anderson followed up with another tweet addressing both Williams' death to apparent suicide and the controversy surrounding Fields' response:
[tweet https://twitter.com/ellencanderson/statuses/498986030783950849]
Fields was previously involved in a contentious 2012 election contest against incumbent Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison. During one debate, Ellison called Fields a "low-life scumbag" as a tense encounter devolved into a spat over personal family matters. Ellison won the race with 74 percent of the vote.
