A Tarrant County Democratic candidate and a county party official are facing criticism over Facebook content posted after the death of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina).
Graham died Saturday evening after a brief and sudden illness, according to a statement from his office, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. He was 71.
House candidate posts message about Graham
A screenshot reviewed by The Dallas Express showed a post from the Facebook account of Texas House District 97 Democratic candidate Beth Llewellyn McLaughlin that appeared to mock Graham after his death.
“Rest in… purgatory? For the flip-flopping sycophant of the Senate,” the post read.
McLaughlin is running against state Rep. John McQueeney (R-District 97) in the November election. McLaughlin’s campaign website identifies her as a District 97 candidate, while the Texas House lists McQueeney as the district’s representative.
🚨BREAKING🚨Texas Democrat House candidate for HD97 mocked the de@th of Senator Lindsey Graham. McLaughlin is running against Republican State Rep. John McQueeney. Is this someone you want in office?
Follow:@Carlos__Turcios@DallasExpress pic.twitter.com/GWqglUDSWd
— Carlos Turcios (@Carlos__Turcios) July 12, 2026
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) criticized the post on X.
“This is absolutely despicable. Anyone celebrating the death of an innocent man has no place serving the American people,” Mace wrote.
This is absolutely despicable. Anyone celebrating the death of an innocent man has no place serving the American people.
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) July 13, 2026
County party vice chair shares separate post
A separate screenshot reviewed by DX appeared to show Tarrant County Democratic Party Vice Chair Patrice Jones sharing another Facebook post about Graham’s death. The county party lists Jones as its vice chair.
“Lindsey Graham has died. Mitch McConnell is mostly dead. Ok Witches, the power of 3 will set us free,” the shared post read.
The post did not identify a third person.
Patrice earlier today also called for the death of (presumably) President Trump. https://t.co/nKrnAucojV pic.twitter.com/AkwDzAhtrm
— Real Texan Politics ✝️🇺🇸 (@RealTXPolitics) July 13, 2026
Prior Tarrant County controversies
Jones faced criticism last week over a separate Facebook post about raising black children in predominantly white communities, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The controversy also follows a 2025 dispute involving Fort Worth City Councilwoman Elizabeth Beck, who posted the word “Unfortunate” over an image of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk shortly after his assassination, as DX previously reported.
The Dallas Express contacted McLaughlin and Jones for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
Provided by Dallas Express
