Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) sparked controversy for remarks about drug dealers during a town hall this week in Bridgton.
LePage said Wednesday that “guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty” are going to Maine from places like New York and Connecticut to sell heroin, according to the Portland Press Herald.
{mosads}“Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue we have to deal with down the road,” he added.
A spokesman said in a statement that the governor was speaking about the emotional toll of drugs on kids and not about race.
Democrats slammed LePage, who has endorsed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the 2016 Republican presidential race, and called on Christie to disavow the “racist” remarks.
“If Chris Christie has a single ounce of integrity, he’ll immediately renounce Gov. LePage’s endorsement,” said Michael Tyler, the Democratic National Committee’s director of African-American media.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign also issued a statement ripping LePage’s “racist rants.”
“Governor LePage’s comments tonight are not only offensive and hurtful but they try to cover up the very real epidemic of drug abuse facing people in his state and across the country,” Clinton state director Marlon Marshall said in the statement, according to CNN.
“LePage’s racist rants sadly distract from efforts to address one of our nation’s most pressing problems,” added Marshall, who is African-American.
This story was updated at 10:30 p.m.