Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum is being targeted by racist robocalls from a neo-Nazi group in Florida, according to a report.
The robocalls are reportedly narrated by someone pretending to be Gillum in a black minstrel-style dialect, with jungle noises the background. Gillum would be the first black governor of Florida if elected in November. He secured the Democratic nomination on Tuesday, upsetting the party favorite.
The robocalls come from the Idaho-based white supremacist organization Road to Power, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
“This is reprehensible — and could only have come from someone with intentions to fuel hatred and seek publicity. Please don’t give it undeserved attention,” Gillum spokesman Geoff Burgan said in a statement to the newspaper.
The robocalls come after Gillum’s Republican opponent in the race, Rep. Ron DeSantis, warned voters not to “monkey this up” and elect Gillum. DeSantis was criticized for the racist comment, and tried to explain that it’s a phrase he uses often when trying to say people should not mess something up.
But given the known history of white people referring to black people as monkeys to perpetuate racist tropes, the explanation didn’t sit well with pastors in the state.
“We need to silence the dog whistle, and don’t say we don’t hear it, because many of us have heard it so many times before,” retired Rev. Joaquin Willis said on Thursday, according to ABC News.
