Warwick Senate Candidate Under Fire After Blackface Photo Surfaces

WARWICK, RI — A white Warwick senate candidate is in the midst of turmoil after a 2009 photo of him in blackface surfaced online.

Michael Carreiro, who is running in District 29, is hearing calls for him to drop out of the race after the photo of him dressed as James Brown — blackface included — was first published by the Boston Globe.

In a statement to the Globe, Carreiro said "the photos you are referring to were taken at a 2009 themed event I attended dressed as the singer James Brown." He continued:

"I want to be clear that this was wrong. It was offensive and unacceptable — and I’m sorry."

Carreiro, in addition to running for a Senate seat, is the president of the Warwick firefighters union, Local 2748. He said he wouldn't back away from the photo, and noted that he understands the hurt it could cause.

"I made a mistake 13 years ago, and I’m owning it. Events of recent years have exposed how much harm can be caused by these types of actions, and I very much understand that and I’ve learned from it," he said.

His political opposition, Jennifer Rourke, took to Twitter on Friday, calling for Carreiro to drop out of the race. She also posted two of the blackface photos, which can be seen here.

"Wearing Blackface is and was never ok. This should be disqualifying. We need to defeat Michael Carreiro," she said.

She also noted that Carreiro "likes" a Facebook page called "support officer Darren Wilson", the officer who shot Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.

Rourke herself has been in the middle of what's shaping up to be a truly bizarre race in the 29th District.

Rourke was speaking at a Roe v. Wade rally in Providence when, later in the night, she was punched by off-duty Providence police officer Jeann Lugo, who was also running in the district. Lugo is charged with assault and disorderly conduct.

READ MORE: Providence Cop Charged After Punching Political Opponent: State Police