Lt. Gov. Candidate Chris Moss Calls Tweet By Cuomo Supporter 'Blatant Racist Smear'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- One Westchester democrat is coming under fire for a tweet many are calling racist.
Andrew Barovick, a prominent Westchester County Democrat and personal injury lawyer, took to Twitter Monday to weigh in on the race for governor.
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Barovick's comments were directed toward Chris Moss, who is running for lieutenant governor with Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino against Democratic incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The tweet said, "In light of election loss, @SheriffMoss mulling offers to be new spokesmodel for either Cream of Wheat, or Uncle Ben's Rice."
Many took to Twitter to call out Barovick and the tweet.
Moss issued the following statement about the tweet:
"For weeks I have watched the tone of Andrew Cuomo's rhetoric become increasingly disturbing, particularly as it relates to race relations here in New York. His failed attempts to gin up racial disharmony among the electorate have been nothing short of appalling. "Now, I find myself under attack as a statewide African-American candidate from one of Mr. Cuomo's key cheerleaders in Westchester County, Andrew Barovick, who has fired off a blatant racist smear about me via Twitter. Mr. Barovick's suggestion that I should become the next spokesman for Uncle Ben's Rice or Cream of Wheat cereal is eyebrow-raising in the extreme. Mr. Cuomo may not have penned those but he has set the tone for these types of unfortunate attacks."
Barovick tweeted the following on Election Day:
Cuomo has consistently led the lesser-known Astorino in the polls and enjoyed a nearly 10-to-1 fundraising advantage over the Westchester County executive in the campaign's final weeks.
But Astorino remained optimistic on Election Day.
"Polls don't matter," he said. "George Pataki was down 17 points going to the election in '94."
Answering reporters' questions afterward, Astorino said Cuomo, "pumped millions" of dollars into "nasty, false ads."
Asked to comment, Cuomo campaign spokesman Matt Wing said that was "a nasty thing to say on Election Day."
A victory by Cuomo over Astorino would make him the first Democratic governor since his father, Mario Cuomo, to win re-election in New York.
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