South Carolina’s top democrat denies he intended to make a disparaging racial remark against Governor Nikki Haley, according to Politico.
Haley’s parents are Sikh immigrants, but she was raised in the United States.
South Carolina Democratic Chairman Dick Harpootlian told those attending a party gathering that they would “send Nikki Haley back to wherever the hell she came from.”
Harpootlian in an email to Politico responded to charges he was referring to Haley’s Indian American heritage and her parents immigration status.
“No, she was born in Bamberg [South Carolina] and lived in Lexington. Anybody implying anything different is attempting to feign insult.”
But Republicans accused Harpootlian of “play[ing] to the lowest common denominator.”“Unfortunately, this seems to be a trend coming out of the South Carolina Democratic Party,” said GOP Spokesman Rob Godfrey.The Republicans have made a bigger effort to reach out to minority voters after being pounded in the polls during the 2012 presidential race.This is not the first time Harpootlian have made remarks that have gotten him into controversy. You can read more about that in the Politico.
