'At this point, the Tea Party is no more popular than the Klan,' Grayson says. Grayson likens tea party to KKK

Florida Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson’s campaign sent out a fundraising email likening the tea party to the Ku Klux Klan, complete with an image of a burning cross.

The email, which went out to supporters yesterday, shows a burning cross — complete with images of two KKK-like figures in the background — used as the “T” in “tea party.” When users click on the image, they’re taken to a fundraising landing page for Grayson’s campaign.


The text of the email is an excerpt from an interview Grayson did with the Rev. Al Sharpton, in which he draws the tea party-KKK comparison.

“At this point, the tea party is no more popular than the Klan,” Grayson says in the interview.

The email praises Grayson’s bluntness and urges supporters to donate to his campaign.

“Congressman Alan Grayson deserves your support, like no one else,” the email says. “He, and only he, is saying the things that you are thinking, and so much need to be said.”

Matt Gorman, rapid response director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, denounced Grayson’s fundraising tactics.

“There’s no excuse for the hateful words and imagery used by Congressman Grayson,” he said in a statement. “House Democrats should swiftly and strongly condemn him and return the money he has raised for them. This hate-filled rhetoric has Americans fed up with Washington.”

Grayson defended the email in a statement Tuesday afternoon, saying the tea party has long used racist and insensitive terms and imagery to refer to African Americans, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and gays.

“[T]here is overwhelming evidence that the Tea Party is the home of bigotry and discrimination in America today, just as the KKK was for an earlier generation,” Grayson said. “If the shoe fits, wear it.”