Virginia state Sen. Louise Lucas accused Republican presidential Mitt Romney of pandering to fringe voters who don’t “like to see people other than a white man in the White House.”
Speaking on a Hampton Roads radio station Tuesday, Lucas, a Democrat and member of President Obama’s campaign “Truth Team,” said Obama’s skin color has more to do with his current approval ratings than the economy.
“Do you really believe now that this is still about race?” the host, John Fredericks, asked.
“I absolutely believe this it’s all about race and this for the first time in my life I’ve been able to convince my children finally that racism is alive and well,” she replied.
“Even in Virginia?” Fredericks asked
“Especially in Virginia,” Lucas said.
Lucas, who is black, remains an outspoken surrogate for Obama and is frequently called upon by the state Democratic Party to stump for Obama and U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine. She first suggested Obama is now tied with Romney in Virginia because voters are “off with their children having a good time” during summer vacation, but then she claimed racism was the root cause.
“There are people probably cringing in their seats because they don’t want to hear it but it’s time that we faced the reality that we need to have a national discussion on racial issues,” she said.
