Lawler is up against former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY) in a toss-up House New York race that could decide the makeup of the lower chamber that currently has historically thin margins.

Lawler was forced to apologize for wearing blackface as part of a Michael Jackson costume while he was in college. The New York Times released a photo of the congressman from 2006 showing his face darkened while he wears a red leather jacket that resembles the one featured in the “Thriller” music video.

The incumbent confirmed that the photo was authentic, stating that the costume was intended to be “the sincerest form of flattery” and “genuine homage” to one of his childhood idols.

“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,” he said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “Let me be clear, this is not that.” 

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

Following the New York Times report, an article from Politico pointed to at least two instances where Lawler sidestepped opportunities to condemn racist rhetoric.

In one case, Lawler was present at a New York forum combatting antisemitism three weeks ago and spoke almost immediately after a participant used a racial slur for black people, but he did not address the epithet. Last week, Lawler pivoted to a different topic after a hard-line conservative talk show host said in an interview that black supremacy exists but white supremacy and Islamophobia do not.

Lawler, a GOP centrist in a swing district that President Joe Biden carried by double digits in 2020, has not been documented using racist rhetoric. However, he faces a competitive reelection bid as he prepares to face Jones in November, so any negative press, particularly on social issues, could resonate with Democratic and independent voters who will likely decide the election.

Erin Covey, Cook Political Report House analyst, told the Washington Examiner it is “difficult to judge” whether the reports against Lawler are damaging enough to move the needle for the race, which the group rates as a “toss-up.” In Jones’s case, the best thing he has going for him is that he “has [Kamala] Harris’s coattails.”

“It doesn’t seem like she’s going to win it by the same double-digit margin that Biden won it by in 2020, but I do think she should carry this district by several points,” Covey said. “So, you know, for Lawler, he has been in a position all cycle where he’s known that he would probably have to overperform the top of the ticket and win over a decent chuck of Harris voters.”

“This only reinforces that it’s going to be a close race so that Lawler doesn’t have a clear advantage,” Covey added, speaking to the blackface report.

Lawler has spoken out against baseless claims from his GOP colleagues that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, encouraging fellow lawmakers to “exercise great restraint when spreading unfounded theories and claims based off of posts on Facebook.”

The congressman’s campaign accused Politico of not covering Jones’s racially charged remarks. As a House Democrat, he accused Republicans of “white supremacist politics,” and in 2021, he called the ICE a “racist institution.”

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“Let me get this straight: POLITICO wants our campaign to answer for inappropriate things other people said in Congressman Lawler’s presence, but it is simultaneously unwilling to cover and analyze the dozens of instances where Mondaire Jones himself has personally used racially divisive, slanderous, and hyperbolic rhetoric to attack police, border patrol agents, and people with whom he has political differences? Thanks, but we’ll pass,” Lawler campaign spokesman Chris Russell said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.

The Washington Examiner reached out to Jones’s campaign for comment.