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Mass. Senate Candidate Sorry For Using 'Happy' In Post About Scalia's Death

BOSTON (CBS) – A candidate for Massachusetts senate apologized for using the word "happy" in a Facebook post about the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Following Scalia's death on Saturday, Barnstable County Commissioner Sheila Lyons took to Facebook. Lyons is currently running for state senate.

"I know it's disrespectful to feel happy but Justice Scalia orchestrated tremendous power to benefit the powerful who have controlled the message to the American people," Lyons says she wrote in a post that has since been deleted.

Sheila Lyons
Sheila Lyons, a candidate for state senate in Massachusetts. (Image Credit: Sheila Lyons for State Senate Facebook page)

On Tuesday night, Lyons posted again on Facebook, this time to apologize for initial post.

Lyons said within minutes of her first post, a friend messaged her to say that using the word happy in a post about Scalia's death was "very disrespectful."

She then immediately deleted the post.

"It was a mistake. I have made mistakes in the past, and frankly I will again in the future. I understand that in a political year many people will try to use this against me," Lyons wrote on her campaign page. "That is their right, but I will be moving on. There is too much at stake in our community not to move past this and have a serious discussion about the issues facing the district. I apologize for the distraction."

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