A racist robocall that targets Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum is dialing up Florida voters, according to NBC News.
“Well hello there. I is the negro Andrew Gillum and I’ll be askin’ you to make me governor of this here state of Florida,” a man impersonating Gillum in a minstrel-stye dialect says, according to audio obtained by NBC News.
{mosads}“My state opponent, who done call me monkey, is doin’ a lot of hollerin’ about how ‘spensive my plans for health care be,” the voice adds.
NBC News reported it has not been able to determine who paid for the robocall.
Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, is facing former Rep. Ron DeSantis in the tight governor’s race, which has been rated as a “toss-up” by prognosticator Cook Political Report. Gillum would be the first black governor in the state’s history.
A spokesperson for Gillum’s campaign, Geoff Burgan, told NBC News that the robocall was “disgusting,” adding that it represents the “continuation of the ugliest, most divisive campaign in Florida’s history.”
“We would hope that these calls, and the dangerous people who are behind them, are not given any more attention than they already have been,” Burgan said.
DeSantis’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News regarding the robocall.
This isn’t the first time Gillum, who currently serves as mayor of Tallahassee, has been the target of racist attacks.
In August, robocalls issued in Florida by a white supremacist group mocked Gillum with jungle noises that played in the background.
Campaigns for DeSantis and Gillum quickly denounced the robocall at the time.
Polls have shown Gillum with an edge over DeSantis in his bid to become governor. A new poll released by Quinnipiac on Tuesday showed that the Democrat had a 6-point advantage with just two weeks before the general election.