Blackface photo shakes up toss-up House district in NY

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

Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., who is white, is pictured dressed like pop sensation Michael Jackson, complete with bronzer to darken his face in an October 2006 photo reported by the New York Times. Lawler does not dispute the photo's authenticity and has issued an apology to anyone who has taken offense, though he said it was not his intention to dress in blackface.

"As has been well-documented – most recently by the Daily Beast – I was a so-called 'Super Fan' of Michael Jackson, so much so that I was mentioned by name in his biography for my outspoken support of him and the Jackson Family.  I loved Michael's music, was awed by him as a performer, and by his impact on pop culture," Lawler said in a statement. "One of my greatest memories is attending his concert at Madison Square Garden before his untimely death.  

"When attempting to imitate Michael’s legendary dance moves at a college Halloween party eighteen years ago, the ugly practice of black face was the furthest thing from my mind. Let me be clear, this is not that. Rather, my costume was intended as the sincerest form of flattery, a genuine homage to one of my childhood idols since I was a little kid trying to moonwalk through my mom's kitchen.  

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

"I am a student of history and for anyone who takes offense to the photo, I am sorry.  All you can do is live and learn, and I appreciate everyone's grace along the way," he said. 

The 38-year-old Lawler, a moderate first-term lawmaker from the Hudson Valley, is seen as a rising star in the GOP conference who is 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 pictured 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)

The race is one of 22 toss-up contests that may well determine which party controls the House of Representatives next year, according to Fox News' Power Rankings.  

Lawler is not the first politician to be wrapped up in recent controversy over a costume that resembled blackface. Former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, faced calls to resign after a photo from his medical school yearbook surfaced which pictured men in Ku Klux Klan robes and blackface. Northam denied he was in the photo but admitted he once used shoe polish to darken his face for a dance contest in the 1980s in which he too dressed like Jackson.

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

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also faced controversy in 2019 when photos surfaced of him wearing blackface in 2001. The prime minister said in an interview after the fact that he could not give a definitive number on how many times he had worn blackface. 

Lawler was photographed in his Jackson costume in New York City when he was a sophomore at Manhattan College, now Manhattan University, a Catholic school in the Bronx where only three percent of the student population is Black, according to the New York Times. 

Lawler, who was class valedictorian in 2009, was well-known for his love of Michael Jackson, the paper reported.

When Lawler was a high school senior in 2005, he flew from New York to California to attend parts Jackson's criminal trial. The musician had faced allegations of molesting a 13-year-old boy at his Neverland Ranch, though Jackson was eventually acquitted. 

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Michael Jackson performing "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 teen had been "so disgusted" by testimony against Jackson "that he couldn't help but mutter something derogatory under his breath." 

In Taraborrelli's account, Lawler was overheard by court officials and "tossed right out of the courtroom." 

The photos in question were posted to Facebook and depict Lawler dressed in a jacket reminiscent of the one Jackson wore in the "Thriller" music video. 

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The New York Times cited a person familiar with the costume who said that Lawler had used bronzer borrowed from female classmates to darken his skin. 

Lawler's 2022 victory was one of several Republican victories in crucial New York districts, despite the state's status as reliably blue overall. The 17th includes stretches 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.