Lawmaker says race played role in GOP 2010 wins

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia is saying his party's November election losses were due partly to voter antagonism toward a black president...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia is saying his party’s November election losses were due partly to voter antagonism toward a black president.

Moran, in the House of Representatives for 20 years, spoke to the U.S.-sponsored Arabic-language television network Alhurra Tuesday, after President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. Referring to Republican gains in congressional and state contests, Moran said “a lot of people in this country, I believe, don’t want to be governed by an African-American.” He said that was particularly true of a liberal president.

Responding to criticism, Moran’s spokeswoman Anne Hughes responded that it is no secret the United States “continues to struggle with racial equality.” She says Moran thinks such issues should not be ignored.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

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