Condolences

For the second time in less than a year, U.S. Representative from Ohio has passed away. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a staunch Democrat and the first African American woman from Ohio to serve in the House, has died following the rupture of a brain aneurysm.

Ms. Jones would have been in Denver next week, at the nexus of almost every major political story. As a superdelegate from the archetypal swing state, as a woman who had supported Hillary Clinton, and as an African American now pledged to support the first African American major party nominee for president, she had become an integral part of the narrative this election cycle.

Of course, things like election cycle narratives seem pretty trivial at times like these. My condolences go out to everyone whose life she touched.

UPDATE 2: I want to apologize for the prematurity of the original post, and now that Congresswoman Jones' has in fact succumbed to the effects of an aneurysm, I reiterate my sympathy for her family and friends.

UPDATE: Although the link to the Plain Dealer still works as of 3:10pm, the PD and other major news organizations are now reporting instead that Rep. Jones is in critical condition, but alive. I will not be commenting further until the information coming from Cleveland is more reliable.