CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – A North Carolina state senator who’s running for mayor of Charlotte has had his Twitter use restricted by his campaign manager after he posted an animated image of a defecating dog in response to critics of his LGBT stance.
WFAE-FM in Charlotte reports campaign manager Dakota Cary confirmed the tweet was sent Tuesday by Democratic state Sen. Joel Ford.
Joel Ford deleted his dog-poop tweet. Can’t erase screenshots, @theobserver editorial, record. Apologize. Do better. https://t.co/xDSUjJW6Eu pic.twitter.com/WjKdW60n5k
— Matt Comer (@TheMattComer) March 15, 2017
The offending tweet was a response to criticism from local activist Matt Comer, who attacked Ford for his record on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. Comer said Ford later called to apologize.
Cary said Ford used the GIF image because when he’s targeted on Twitter, it’s easier than “typing out the same response each time.”
Cary said the campaign might create a list of pre-approved GIFs for Ford.