GOP Activist Who Opposed COVID-19 Vaccine Rules Dies After Virus Complications

A well-known Republican activist in Arlington, Texas, who vocally opposed COVID-19 vaccine requirements has died after contracting the virus.

Kelly Canon, who served as vice president of the Arlington Republican Club, had been hospitalized for COVID-19-related pneumonia, NBCDFW reported. 

“Our dear friend Kelly Canon lost her battle with pneumonia today. Kelly will be forever in our hearts as a loyal and beloved friend and Patriot,” the Arlington Republican Club reportedly wrote in a Facebook post that can no longer be viewed. “Gone way too soon. We will keep her family in our prayers.”

Canon was known for her successful grassroots work to ban red light cameras in Arlington. More recently, she was outspoken against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and mask rules, and also promoted false claims that the 2020 election was rigged. In a November Facebook post, she celebrated that her employer had granted her a religious exemption from getting the COVID-19 vaccine, The Daily Beast reported.

“No jabby-jabby for me! Praise GOD!” she wrote at the time in a post that is no longer public. Her Facebook page and posts about her death had been inundated with comments about her refusal to get vaccinated.

In December, Canon said on Facebook that she had attended a “COVID symposium” in Burleson, Texas, according to The Daily Beast. The event was organized by God Save Our Children, which says on Facebook that it is fighting to “stop the vaccine genocide of our children at schools.” Speakers included medical doctors who promote vaccine misinformation and unproven COVID-19 cures.

Mark Hanson, president of the Arlington Republican Club, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that said he had understood that Canon was hospitalized but improving as of late last week, so her death was a shock.