Democratic Nominee for Seat on DuPage County Board Drops Out After Tweeting About Laughing at “Karma” of Police Officer Hit in the Face with Projectile in Portland

The Democratic nominee for a District 4 seat on the DuPage County Board is dropping out of the race and has apologized for an “irresponsible” tweet she posted Sunday morning July 26, 2020 about a police officer hit in the face with a projectile at a riot in Portland, Oregon.

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Hadiya Afzal, age 20, a recent college graduate from DePaul University, confirmed Monday morning July 27, 2020 that she is ending her Democratic campaign to attempt to unseat Republican incumbent Tim Elliott for a District 4 seat on the DuPage County Board. She has also apologized for posting an “irresponsible” tweet.

Within 10 hours of posting a controversial retweet about laughing at a video of a police officer, who was hit in the face by a projectile during a riot in Portland, Oregon; Afzal announced she was withdrawing her bid because her tweet had “become a distraction.” Afzal initially defended her tweet on Facebook.

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On Tuesday Afzal’s personal Twitter account (@hadiya_afzal) was protected (private) with her profile picture changed from a personal selfie to tomatoes on a kitchen counter. Her candidacy Twitter account @HadiyaForDuPage (with 2,815 followers) is also protected. Her candidacy Facebook page (facebook.com/hadiyafordupage) has been removed, and her candidacy Instagram account (@hadiyafordupage) has been protected.

Afzal’s post had caught the eye of Andy Ngô, a conservative social media personality with over 530,000 followers. He shared a screenshot on Twitter of Hadiya’s retweet of a tweet from Laura Jedeed (@1misanthrophile) that showed the video. Laura Jedeed has been posting images and videos on the front lines at the nightly riots in Portland. Jedeed’s video tweet of the police officer getting hit is captioned ‘Karma’s a bitch’ with a brief video clip that shows a federal officer throwing a projectile toward rioters, and then a significantly massive projectile hitting the same officer in the front of his helmet and face.

ive been watching this on repeat for fifteen minutes and laughing every single time

— Hadiya Afzal

The tweet reached a national level with the Describing the candidate’s comment and Laura Jedeed’s video and comment as hateful and sick, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz retweeted Andy Ngô’s tweet. Laura Jedeed then changed her Twitter profile description to include ‘Hateful & Sick’ -Ted Cruz. Jedeed also describes herself as Leftist veteran, PDX street historian. She/hers.

Jedeed also posted images of her injuries to her forearm and thigh from being hit by pepper balls in Portland. Inner thigh photos not published here.

“As a young activist, I made the decision to run for office in DuPage County Board District 4 to bring progressive policy changes for the community I grew up in and care deeply for. Early Sunday morning, I posted a personal Tweet regarding the protests in Portland, Oregon. My post was in poor taste and doesn’t reflect the values I was raised with and hold dear. I do not support or condone violence in any form. I appreciate and support the role that law enforcement plays in keeping our communities safe.”

— Hadiya Afzal

DuPage Democrats are preparing to slate another candidate to replace Afzal on the ballot, according to Democratic Party Chairwoman Cynthia Borbas.

DuPage Democrats had previously endorsed Afzal for DuPage County Board (District 4) for a “better DuPage”, saying about the 20 year-old candidate, “Hadiya understands the critical role local government plays in our fight to protect the environment and combat climate change. She is also focused on issues that affect our day-to-day lives, public transit, the opioid crisis, economic development and more.”

Hadiya’s experiences included working for elected officials, such as US Representative Lauren Underwood (West Chicago).

District 4 covers part or all of the municipalities of Addison, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, Lombard, Wheaton, and Winfield.

DuPage County GOP Chairman James Zay on July 26, 2020 had called on DuPage Democrats to disown DuPage County candidate Hadiya Afzal’s Twitter promotion of the attack on a police officer in Portland, Oregon.

Hadiya Afzal, the Democratic Party nominee for DuPage County Board Member (District 4), today tweeted a video of a police officer in Portland being struck in the face with a projectile thrown from a crowd of rioters and captioned the video “I’ve been watching this on repeat for fifteen minutes and laughing every single time”.

“I am calling on the DuPage County Democratic Party Chairman Cynthia Borbas and U.S. Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, both of whom are listed on Afzal’s campaign website as endorsers and/or former employers, to demand this person withdraw as a candidate for public office,” said Chairman Zay. “I realize the Democratic Party has become increasingly radicalized by far left candidates it promotes to appease its base, but Democratic candidates endorsing attacks on police officers cannot be condoned or ignored. There is no justification for her attitude or her statement.”

Zay also noted that Hadiya Afzal promotes herself @HadiyaForDuPage but locks the content of her political and personal Twitter accounts from public view.

“What kind of candidate runs for public office but hides their public statements from the very same people they are seeking votes from,” said Zay. “Democrats and Republicans can argue reasonably all day about public policy, but promoting violence against police officers is unacceptable and inexcusable. It’s time for the DuPage Democrats to step up and time for Hadiya Afzal to step down.”

 AFZAL ON TEEN VOGUE …