Blackface photo causes uproar in New York House of Representatives

A close House race in New York was rocked by a surprise in October when photos emerged years ago of the incumbent Republican congressman in blackface as part of a Halloween costume.

In a photo reported by The New York Times in October 2006, white Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., is dressed like pop sensation Michael Jackson, complete with bronzer to darken his face. Lawler doesn’t dispute the authenticity of the photo and has apologized to anyone who took offense, although he said it wasn’t his intention to dress in black.

“As has been well documented – most recently by the Daily Beast – I was a so-called ‘superfan’ of Michael Jackson, so much so that I was named in his biography because I strongly supported him and Jackson.” “I loved Michael’s music , was impressed by him as an artist and by his influence on pop culture,” Lawler said in a statement. “One of my fondest memories is attending his concert at Madison Square Garden before his untimely death.

“Eighteen years ago, when I tried to emulate Michael’s legendary dance moves at a college Halloween party, the ugly practice of blackface was the least thing on my mind. Let me be clear, this is not that. Rather, my costume was meant to be the sincerest form of flattery, a true homage to one of my childhood idols ever since I was a little kid trying to walk around my mother’s kitchen.

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Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., speaks to reporters after a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“I’m a history major and I’m sorry to anyone who takes offense at the photo. All you can do is live and learn, and I appreciate everyone’s grace along the way,” he said.

Lawler, 38, a moderate lawmaker from the Hudson Valley running in his first term, is considered a rising star of the GOP conference running for re-election in a suburban swing district. His Democratic opponent in New York’s 17th Congressional District is former Rep. Mondaire Jones, a Black man. The Jones campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Photos show Rep. Michael Lawler in October 2005 dressed as pop star Michael Jackson, complete with bronzer to darken his face. Lawler did not dispute the authenticity of the photos. (Published by The New York Times)

According to Fox News’ Power Rankings, the race is one of 22 contests that could determine which party controls the House of Representatives next year.

Lawler is not the first politician to be embroiled in the recent controversy over a costume reminiscent of blackface. Former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, faced calls to resign after a photo emerged from his medical school yearbook showing men wearing Ku Klux Klan robes and blackface. Northam denied he was in the photo, but admitted he once used shoe polish to darken his face at a dance competition in the 1980s where he also dressed like Jackson.

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Lawler is running against former Rep. Mondaire Jones. (Getty Images)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also found himself in controversy in 2019 when photos emerged of him wearing blackface in 2001. The Prime Minister said in a subsequent interview that he could not give an exact figure he often wore blackface.

Lawler was photographed in his Jackson costume in New York City while he was a sophomore at Manhattan College, now Manhattan University, a Catholic school in the Bronx where, according to the New York Times, only three percent of students are black.

According to the newspaper, Lawler, who was valedictorian of 2009, was known for his love of Michael Jackson.

When Lawler was in high school in 2005, he flew from New York to California to attend Jackson’s criminal trial. The musician was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy at his Neverland Ranch, but Jackson was eventually acquitted.

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Michael Jackson performed “Thriller” on stage at Madison Square Garden as part of his Bad Tour in 1988. (George De Sota (ID 5073478)/Redferns)

Jackson biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli recounted in his book how he helped get Lawler into the courtroom, according to the Daily Beast. Taraborrelli wrote in “Michael Jackson: The Magic, the Madness, the Whole Story” that the teenager was “so disgusted” by the testimony against Jackson that “he couldn’t help but mutter something derogatory under his breath.”

In Taraborrelli’s report, Lawler was overheard by court officials and “thrown right out of the courtroom.”

The photos in question were posted on Facebook and show Lawler wearing a jacket reminiscent of the jacket Jackson wore in the “Thriller” music video.

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The New York Times quoted a person familiar with the costume as saying Lawler used bronzer borrowed from classmates to darken his skin.

Lawler’s victory in 2022 was one of several Republican victories in key New York districts, even though the state as a whole was considered reliably blue. The 17th includes sections through four suburban counties outside of New York City: Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Emily Robertson contributed to this report.