Johnson County GOP election watch party attendees may have been exposed to COVID-19
Guests at an election night watch party hosted by Johnson County Republicans may have been exposed to COVID-19, the county GOP said Thursday, in a statement disclosing that an attendee had tested positive.
The county party announced on Facebook at 1:59 a.m. Thursday that “at least one individual” who attended the gathering at the Embassy Suites in Olathe, was a confirmed case.
“While there is no evidence transfer of the virus occurred at our event, I want all attendees to know there is a possibility you may have had at least minimum exposure,” county chairman Fabian Shepard wrote.
Shepard urged anyone who becomes aware of cases involving people who attended the party to let Johnson County Republican Party leadership know. He announced the party had suspended its scheduled activities.
The announcement follows other publicly-identified cases of COVID-19 among Kansas Republicans. In October, a member of Republican Roger Marshall’s campaign team tested positive. The campaign said at the time an aide was exposed at a personal event. Marshall, currently a representative, won election to the Senate last week.
In August, a supporter of Republican Amanda Adkins, who attended the congressional candidate’s primary night watch party, tested positive. Adkins ran unsuccessfully against Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids.
Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman, an Olathe Republican, had COVID-19 in July and was hospitalized for several days before recovering.
This story was originally published November 12, 2020 at 2:50 PM.
