This image was removed due to legal reasons.

A shocking photo unearthed this week shows the frontrunner in a race for the Louisiana House of Representatives wearing blackface, apparently as part of a Tiger Woods Halloween costume.


The photo provided to the conservative Louisiana politics site The Hayride shows Robbie Gatti, a candidate for the 8th District, with his face and neck shiny with pitch-black paint, smiling, and wearing a homemade Nike hat. (The hat's logo is turned the wrong way.)

The source who provided the photo told the Hayride Gatti was with members of the First Baptist Church, where he used to be a pastor, when it was taken.


A statement posted to the Gatti campaign's Facebook page seemed to confirm both the authenticity of the photo and that the Gatti was, indeed, trying to impersonate Tiger Woods. The candidate also said that the picture was taken 15 years ago, decried the "political mud" being slung at him, and rationalized that Tiger Woods was very popular at the time.

Here's the full statement:

