County board candidate drops out after controversial tweet

WHEATON, Ill. (AP) — A candidate for the DuPage County board in northern Illinois withdrew from the race after being criticized for a tweet in which she said she laughed while watching a video of a police officer getting hit in the face by a projectile during a protest.

Democrat Hadiya Afzal narrowly won nomination in the March primary to run in DuPage County’s 4th District. Afzal, 20, announced her withdrawal from the race late Sunday, saying her post was in poor taste and didn’t represent the values with which she was raised.

"I’ve been watching this on repeat for fifteen minutes and laughing every single time,” Afzal wrote in her tweet. It wasn't clear which video of protests the DePaul University graduate was watching.

Afzal, who says she is Muslim and wears a hijab, said she was targeted by a “harassment campaign” after Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz posted on Twitter that her comment was “hateful and sick.”

“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,” Afzal said in a statement release on Twitter. ``I sincerely apologize for the irresponsible tweet.”

Afzal told the Chicago Tribune on Monday she dropped out of the race on the recommendation of the local Democratic Party. She said she did not want to be a distraction in the fall election.

Democratic Party of DuPage Chairwoman Cynthia Borbas said the party condemns the Afzal’s tweet and the reaction to it, which she said were Islamaphobic and unacceptable.

Democratic committee members will vote in mid-August on a replacement for Afzal on the ballot, Borbas said.