U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first African-American woman to represent Ohio in Congress, has died after suffering a brain aneurysm, said sources familiar with the situation.
She was removed from life support at 12:19 p.m. at Huron Road Hospital, the sources said.
Tubbs Jones, 58, served as a Cuyahoga County judge and prosecutor before succeeding U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes. She has served five terms in Congress and is expected to easily win her sixth in November.
The mood of supporters around noon was somber. Cleveland Councilman Roosevelt Coats was seen sobbing outside the hospital. He said that Tubbs Jones was unconscious and that her friends and relatives were preparing for the worst. (The Cleveland Plain Dealer)
Tubbs Jones was elected in 1998 as the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress. During the 2008 presidential primaries, Tubbs Jones was one of Hillary Clinton’s biggest supporters. However, she changed her allegiance to Barack Obama in June after he was established as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Tubbs Jones was scheduled to appear as a superdelegate in support of Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Denver next week.
Tubbs Jones was a avid supporter of LGBT rights and was given a 100% rating by the Human Rights Campaign for her pro-gay-rights stance. She voted against banning gay adoptions in DC, strongly favors same-sex domestic partnership benefits, fought for increased funding for AIDS treatment & prevention and supported more funding and stricter sentencing for hate crimes. (gaywired.com)
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