UPDATE: Dan Kimmel, a DFL candidate for state representative in Minnesota’s 56th district dropped out of the race after he tweeted his support for ISIS on Saturday night. His tweet came out on the same day that ISIS took claim for the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris. Kimmel tweeted: “ISIS isn’t necessarily evil. It is made up of people doing what they think is best for their community. Violence is not the answer, though.”
Kimmel was a DFL candidate running in 56A, covering portions of Dakota and Scott counties in Savage. The current representative for the area is Drew Christensen (R). The tweet received a lot of attention in the first few hours it was posted, receiving dozens of negative responses. Two hours after the tweet was released, Kimmel sent another tweet saying, “I deplore the evil acts of ISIS. I do not defend their acts.”
These are a few of the responses Kimmel has received:
House Minority Leader Paul Thissen condemned Kimmel’s statement, tweeting Kimmel’s comments “do not reflect the opinions of membership of the House DFL caucus. We stand firmly against the evil that is ISIS.” DFL Chairman Ken Martin has also spoken out against Kimmel’s remarks.