NY State Senate Candidate Promises to Hand Out 'Kool Aid, KFC and Watermelons' in Harlem

HARLEM, NY — It's hard to do, but a politician running for office in Harlem might have one-upped Donald Trump when it comes to making ignorant and offensive statements.

Jon Girodes, a Republican running to represent the 30th State Senate District, sent an email to NBC New York saying he would hand out "watermelons" and "KFC" in Harlem during a campaign event.

"Ps I'm hosting an event in Harlem which will be in front of the state building in a few weeks. We will [donate] Kool Aid, KFC and watermelons to the public on 125th street in Harlem. Please join us to help the community," Girodes wrote in the email.

The email was sent to NBC New York reporter Sarah Wallace who had originally contacted him to talk about a rent scam in which he allegedly conned a woman out of $3,200 before eventually returning the money.

Wallace then printed out the statement and took it to Harlem to get people's reactions.

"It’s more than an insult, and anybody with any sense would see that’s pathetically racist and insulting," Harlem resident Scott Randolph told NBC New York.

Girodes is challenging the incumbent Bill Perkins, a Democrat, in November's election. Girodes went unchallenged in the Republican primary for the nomination, and finished third in the race for the 30th District in 2014, according to BallotPedia. In the 2014 election Perkins captured 87.1 percent of the vote, 8.1 percent of voters left the field blank and Girodes finished with 4.6 percent. The 30th District covers Harlem and part of the Upper West Side.

>>> Check out the full NBC New York report here.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons via author Jon Girodes