U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins told a recent gathering in northeast Kansas that the Republican Party is looking for a “great white hope” to help stop the political agenda of the Democratic party and President Barack Obama.
Videotape shows Jenkins, a Republican, making the comment at an Aug. 19 forum. She was discussing the Republican party’s future after Democrats took control of the House and Senate in the 2008 elections, when the presidency went to Obama, the nation’s first black president.
A Jenkins spokeswoman told The Topeka Capital-Journal Wednesday that Jenkins apologized for her word choice and did not intend to offend anyone.
Kenny Johnston, of the Kansas Democratic Party, says Jenkins’ statement was regrettable and that she should stick to discussing solutions.
