The calls were made in the racially charged atmosphere of the Florida governor’s race. | Chris O'Meara/AP Photo Racist robocalls mar Florida’s race for governor

TALLAHASSEE — A neo-Nazi group began bombarding the phones of Florida Democratic voters Friday with a robocall narrated by a person who mocks the party’s first African-American gubernatorial nominee, Andrew Gillum, in a black minstrel-style voice as jungle noises play in the background.

The automated calls were issued by the Road to Power, an Idaho-based white supremacist group linked to other racist robocall campaigns in Charlottesville, Va., Oregon and California, according to the Tallahassee Democrat, which first reported the calls and is the hometown newspaper of Gillum, the city’s mayor.


The calls were made in the racially charged atmosphere of the Florida governor’s race after GOP nominee Ron DeSantis on Wednesday called Gillum an "articulate" spokesman for socialism who would "monkey up" Florida’s finances. DeSantis denied accusations that his remarks were racist.

On Thursday, DeSantis withdrew as a moderator for a Tea Party-themed Facebook page that was rampant with racist posts. DeSantis did not post on the page and was added to it as a moderator without his knowledge, the campaign said.

The DeSantis campaign denounced the robocalls.

"This is absolutely appalling and disgusting — and hopefully whoever is behind this has to answer for this despicable action," spokesman Stephen Lawson said. "Our campaign has and will continue to focus solely on the issues that Floridians care about and uniting our state as we continue to build on our success."

Gillum’s campaign spokesman urged caution.

"This is reprehensible — and could only have come from someone with intentions to fuel hatred and seek publicity. Please don’t give it undeserved attention," spokesman Geoff Burgan said.

Asked if the campaign objected to the call being covered in the news media, Burgan said it was "important for people to know about."

POLITICO, like the Tallahassee Democrat, obtained the audio but is not publishing it.