Morrissey’s opponents jumped on Repp’s comments.

“It’s insulting,” said former Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney, the first African-American to serve in that state role.

“We all stand on the shoulders of people like Henry Marsh, Rudy McCollum, Roy West, Walter Kinney, Doug Wilder, Leonidas Young. And to say that Joe Morrissey will be the first real black mayor of this city is spitting in the face of those individuals who have paved the path.”

Stoney called on Morrissey’s campaign to apologize or disavow the comments.

Reached by phone, Repp said she was accurately quoted but that the comment was taken out of context. She said the comment followed a comparison to Bill Clinton, who is sometimes referred to as the first black president.

“My response was that a lot of people might say the same thing about Joe Morrissey — that he’s the first black mayor of Richmond,” she said. “It’s in the context that it seems fascinating to people when a politician of one race captures the hearts of another, and people want to understand what that’s about. ... It wasn’t in any way a reflection on previous black mayors of the city of Richmond.”

Repp said she does not believe an apology is warranted.