A Republican congressman is facing serious backlash after a photo surfaced showing the Georgia state representative dressed as Kanye West in blackface at a party over a decade ago.
Kasey Carpenter, from Dalton, who’s been representing the state’s 4th House District since 2017, says he was trying to pay tribute to West while his wife dressed as Kim Kardashian for what he called a “power-couple” event.
The image, which circulated on social media, has become a major issue as Carpenter heads into his re-election campaign this year.
In his defense, Carpenter told the Georgia Recorder that the decision was made “12 to 14 years ago” and wasn’t intended to cause harm.
“Clearly it was a mistake, but it was nothing done with bad intentions or some subversive messaging,” he said.
He also suggested the photo was leaked by political rivals trying to tank his chances at the ballot box.
“I guess an election year is a good time to drop a racially sensitive photo of somebody,” he added, according to reporting from the NY Post.
Carpenter posted a formal apology on Facebook where he acknowledged the photo was taken at a Chattanooga bar when he was in his 30s.
He claimed he was celebrating what he saw as the rap star’s contributions to music and culture.
“Kanye West definitely has some questionable views on public matters. He’s still no doubt one of the greatest music performers of that generation,” Carpenter wrote.
He went on to say that in his mind, respecting someone shouldn’t depend on skin tone, but he admitted that position “missed the mark for many.”
Despite his apology, residents in Dalton aren’t buying it.
Local community members have said his statement doesn’t go far enough and that doing blackface in general is indefensible, especially for someone in a position of power.
Carpenter’s attempt to frame the incident as a misguided tribute to an artist’s talent rather than acknowledging the historical context of blackface has drawn criticism from constituents who feel he’s minimizing the issue.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Carpenter’s political future.
He’s up for re-election this year and will face the May 19 primary election. The winner of that race will go up against Democrat Quentin Postell, a college student, in the November general election.
Carpenter tried to shift focus away from the controversy by pointing to his work helping minorities in his district.
“Instead of focusing on what you’ve done to help minorities, they want to post a one-off shot of something from 12, 14 years ago,” he said, but that argument hasn’t resonated with voters who see the image as a reflection of his judgment.