Arizona Senate candidate Richard Carmona (D) apologized Friday for a quip he used at a recent debate in which he told the male moderator he was “prettier” than CNN anchor Candy Crowley.
“I tried to tell a joke to lighten the mood in a debate,” Carmona said in a statement. “I shouldn’t have, and I’m sorry.”
During a debate with his Republican opponent Jeff Flake, Carmona offered up the joke after moderator Brahm Resnik said “now I know how Candy Crowley feels,” following a particularly heated back-and-forth between the two men.
“You’re prettier than her,” Carmona said.
Resnick, an anchor with KPNX in Phoenix, chuckled at the joke. “I’m not sure how to take that,” he said.
“Our newsroom policy is not to comment,” Resnick told TPM in an email.
Here’s clip of the moment, as posted by BuzzFeed:
And here’s the line in larger context, as posted by AZCentral.com:
Carmona’s joke comes after weeks of Flake attacking him on air with attack ads alleging he has problems with women. Carmona has dismissed the allegations.
