Why did Lamar County Democratic chair Gary O’Connor resign?
GARY O’Connor, the chair of the Democratic Party in Lamar County, Texas, came under fire after calling Senator Tim Scott an “oreo” on social media. O’Connor is the chair of the Democratic Party in Lamar County, which is about 115 miles northeast of Dallas. Why did Lamar County Democratic chair Gary O’Connor resign? After facing […]
GARY O’Connor, the chair of the Democratic Party in Lamar County, Texas, came under fire after calling Senator Tim Scott an “oreo” on social media.
O’Connor is the chair of the Democratic Party in Lamar County, which is about 115 miles northeast of Dallas.
Why did Lamar County Democratic chair Gary O’Connor resign?
After facing stiff criticism for his poor choice of words against Senator Scott, O’Connor has officially resigned from his post.
O’Connor announced his resignation on May 4 in a statement, days after sparking a firestorm online by calling Scott an “oreo” in a since-deleted Facebook post.
O’Connor apologized for targeting Scott with the racial slur, which refers to a Black person who is perceived as acting White.
“I am deeply and sincerely sorry for my inappropriate and hurtful use of racist term I used to describe Sen. Tim Scott on my personal Facebook page,” O’Connor said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“It was insensitive, and I have embarrassed myself and my party by its use.
“As a result, I feel compelled to offer my resignation as chair of the Lamar County Democratic Party for consideration by the County Executive Committee,” he added.
On April 28, O’Connor wrote a controversial post on Facebook in response to Scott’s speech after President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress.
Scott, the only black Republican in the United States Senate, was chosen by the GOP to give a response to the president’s address.
The South Carolina senator said the United States was “not a racist country”.
O’Connor wrote on Facebook: “I had hoped that Scott might show some common sense, but it seems clear he is little more than an Oreo with no real principles.”
The post has since been deleted.
What did Texas Governor Greg Abbott say about O’Connor’s comments?
Before his resignation, Texas Governor Greg Abbott called on O’Connor to step down from office following his “disgusting” racial slur regarding Senator Scott.
“This is disgusting, hateful, and completely unacceptable. O’Connor must apologize to @SenatorTimScott & step down immediately. @texasdemocrats censure him,’ Abbott tweeted on May 1.
House Rep. Pat Fallon, a Republican from Texas, had also put out a statement demanding that O’Connor resign.
Fallon’s home district includes Lamar County.
He said: “Gary O’Connor’s comment against Senator Tim Scott is abhorrent, insulting, and unforgivable.
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“Both he and the entire Lamar County Democratic Party should be ashamed of this racist behavior. O’Connor must apologize and step down immediately.
“Additionally, I call on both the Democratic Party of Texas and the NAACP to condemn these words, and the state party should take swift action to censure him.”
President Biden reacted to Scott’s remarks by saying African Americans have been left “so far behind the eight ball in terms of education and health, in terms of opportunity”.