Miss. lawmaker Gene Alday: I am not a racist

JACKSON, Miss., Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Mississippi state Rep. Gene Alday apologized and said he is not a racist after he was quoted making racially charged comments in a local newspaper.

In a story about education funding, Alday was quoted in The Clarion-Ledger on Sunday saying, "I come from a town where all the blacks are getting food stamps and what I call 'welfare crazy checks.' They don't work."

When speaking of an emergency room visit, he said "I liked to died. I laid in there for hours because they (blacks) were in there being treated for gunshots."

Alday said his comments were taken "out of context" and apologized before the Mississippi House of Representatives on Tuesday.

"I am deeply sorry for my racist statements, and I was wrong to say what I did, and there is no excuse for my behavior," he said.

State Republicans have been distancing themselves from Alday since the comments. Speaker Philip Gunn and Gov. Phil Bryant condemned the comments.

"In this day and time, to be able to make those racially charged remarks is just unfounded," Bryant said. "And it is something that we in the party, Republican Party, totally reject."