Texas Republicans are urging a county party leader to resign after text messages were leaked that show her referring to a colleague as the N-word, the Texas Tribune reports.
On Saturday, local newspaper the Galveston Daily News ran a story about a text from March where Yolanda Waters, the Galveston County Republican Party chairwoman, calls State Republican Executive Committee Member J.T. Edwards, who is Black, a “typical” N-word, using a shortened version of the term.
In the months-old exchange, Waters wrote that Edwards “lives off everyone else” and “really abuses.” When the other person, who has been identified as the secretary for the Galveston County GOP Alicia Youngblood, asked why Edwards doesn’t work, Waters replied with the racial slur.
According to Waters, who identifies as Latina and African American, her use of the word was an “unfortunate typo,” although she said she could not remember what she was trying to write.
In a Facebook post, the party leader apologized to “anyone who took my typo in offense” but said she plans “to keep my position in the upcoming election.” Waters also denied accusations that she is racist.
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“I am saddened and hurt that anyone believes I am ‘racist’ against my own people,” she said.
However, Texas Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott, are still calling on Waters to resign.
The governor’s spokesman John Wittman called the message “abhorrent” and added that her language has “no place in the Republican Party.”
Texas GOP Party Chairman James Dickey and Land Commissioner George P. Bush. have also asked Waters to apologize and step down. Additionally, a statement calling for her immediate resignation has been signed by 16 Galveston County chairs.
Last Tuesday, another Texas Republican, State Rep. Rick Miller, was forced to drop his re-election bid and retire after saying his challengers joined the race because they are Asian and his district has a significant Asian population.