Republicans in Orange County have pledged to carry on fighting vaccine mandates despite the sudden death of their colleague Kelly Ernby. The 46-year-old deputy district attorney and rising GOP star died this week after telling friends she had caught COVID-19, and her husband appeared to confirm on social media that she wasn’t vaccinated against the disease. Orange County Third District Supervisor Don Wagner, who reportedly shared a stage with Ernby at an anti-mandate rally last month, told The Orange County Register: “I intend to continue, if invited, speaking out against the mandates, and also saying that my choice is to get vaccinated and I believe that should be the choice most people make, absent a genuine health concern or absent a religious objection.” Wagner reportedly disagreed when asked if his support for the anti-mandate movement could discourage people from getting the vaccine. Ernby’s husband, Axel Mattias Ernby, shared his late wife’s vaccine status on Facebook after anti-vaxxers started to blame the vaccine for her death.
