NAACP leader wants Del Borrello to condemn father’s racist statement

The president of the New Jersey NAACP wants Republican Senate candidate Christopher Del Borrello to denounce himself from statements on race by his father on social media.

Richard T. Smith accused Peter Del Borrello of being a racist after a Facebook post stated: “We teach our children from an early age about the dangers of hot stoves and playing in the street, but we should be just as clear in warning them of the dangers and unpredictability of blacks.  Particularly black males.  Your children’s lives may very well depend on this one day.”

“Old-fashioned racist and xenophobic appeals are unlikely to be politically successful beyond a small fringe, so the propagandists of racism have had to develop subtler approaches to stoking fear and hatred for political ends,” Smith said.  “To do so, they have repackaged racist traditions in language and forms that could more easily enter mainstream political discourse.”

Comments made by Peter Del Borello, the president of the Washington Township Republican Club, are highlighted in a new TV ad attacking his son for ties to their family business.

“Explicitly racist or otherwise biased messaging has and will continue to show up as we approach the November election.

We must step up our game as a Black voting bloc, speak truth to power by saying, “Not under our watch,” Smith said.  “We must not allow racism to win.”

Still, there is no evidence that Christopher Del Borrello shares his father’s views on race.

Del Borrello faces Democrat Paul Moriarty in the closely-watched 4th district Senate campaign.  Redistricting made the district more competitive, and Democratic State Sen. Fred Madden is not seeking re-election after twenty years in office.