Stephanie Tubbs Jones

Pioneering Ohio Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones has died suddenly of has suffered an aneurysm.* The daughter of an airport skycap was the first African-American woman to be elected to Congress from Ohio, but that was only one of the many trails she blazed. More recently, she was a familiar sight on the presidential campaign trail. It's hard to think of anyone whose name was not Clinton who worked harder on behalf of Hillary Clinton, and Tubbs Jones surely deserves some of the credit for her crucial victory in Ohio.

UPDATE: This statement from John Kerry, for whom she also worked hard:

"When she was on your side, she was there all the way. We spent so many days together in 2004 and our friendship endured. She was one of a kind, the genuine article. We are praying for her family and loved ones.”

*UPDATE2: Numerous news outlets that reported she had died are now retracting those reports, and saying she is in critical condition. I join them in updating this post, and in hoping and praying for her recovery.