New York’s mayor Michael Bloomberg has jumped into the mix, calling Bill de Blasio’s campaign racist.
Bill de Blasio is the leading New York democratic mayoral candidate trying to get Bloomberg’s job.
In an interview with New York magazine, Mr. Bloomberg said he considered it racist of Mr. de Blasio to promote his mixed-race family. Mr. de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, is black and their teenage son, Dante, appears in his father’s campaign ads.
Mr. Bloomberg added that he did not think that Mr. de Blasio was a racist. But he said, “It’s comparable to me pointing out that I’m Jewish in attracting the Jewish vote.”
At an appearance in Brooklyn on Saturday with his wife and their 18-year-old daughter, Chiara, Mr. de Blasio called Mr. Bloomberg’s remarks “very, very unfortunate and inappropriate.”
“I’m exceedingly proud of my family,” he added. “I hope the mayor will reconsider what he said. I hope he realizes it was inappropriate.”
In her response to the mayor’s comments about her husband’s campaign, Ms. McCray said, “Do I look like an inanimate object? Or a tool? I walk, I talk and make my own decisions.”
After Mr. Bloomberg used the word racist, his interviewer asked what he meant. The mayor tried to clarify his assessment by saying: “No, no, I mean he’s making an appeal using his family to gain support. I think it’s pretty obvious to anyone watching what he’s been doing.”
