Posts tagged Gov. Sam Brownback

Emma Sullivan never expected to be making headlines during her senior year in high school, but she became a media sensation after a tweet that mocked Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (@govsambrownback). “Just made mean comments at gov brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot,” she tweeted while representing her school at a Youth in Government event.

That outburst caught the attention of Brownback’s staff, and someone complained to Sullivan’s school. The school at first demanded that she write a letter of apology to Brownback but reversed that decision after the Twitter community rallied around Sullivan and mocked Brownback.

The governor ultimately apologized, and Sullivan’s following on Twitter soared from a few dozen to more than 15,000 in a few days. The down side to her sudden fame: She became a target for Twitter bullying and critical commentary.

UPDATE, Dec. 5: As more information about this Twitter controversy becomes available, Sullivan is looking like a co-candidate with Brownback for the Twitter Hall of Shame. One newspaper columnist noted that her original tweet was a lie.