'Are you f***ing kidding me?' Former NAACP chief running for Maryland governor is shocked that a reporter would ask if he's a socialist

  • Democratic candidate Ben Jealous has been endorsed by Bernie Sanders
  • Republicans have slammed him as 'too extreme for Maryland'  
  • Jealous later apologized to the reporter who questioned him
  • He said conservatives use 'socialist' as a derogatory term against black leaders
  • Gov. Larry Hogan is is trying to become the first Republican governor to win reelection in the state in more than 60 years 

Ben Jealous, the Democratic candidate for governor of Maryland, dropped the f-bomb when asked by a reporter if he is a socialist.

Jealous, who's been endorsed by liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders and labeled 'too extreme' by his Republican rival, said 'Are you fucking kidding me?' when asked about the moniker.

The incident was caught on camera.

Ben Jealous, the Democratic candidate for governor of Maryland, dropped the f-bomb when asked by a reporter if he is a socialist

Ben Jealous, the Democratic candidate for governor of Maryland, dropped the f-bomb when asked by a reporter if he is a socialist

Jealous is challenging incumbent Republican Gov. Larry Hogan

Jealous is challenging incumbent Republican Gov. Larry Hogan

Jealous, the former president and CEO of the NAACP, is challenging Republican Gov. Larry Hogan for the gubernatorial mansion.

Hogan's campaign has made Jealous out to be a far-left candidate. And the Republican Governors Association, which is back Hogan, has dropped $1 million on television ads against Jealous, calling him 'too extreme for Maryland.'

'You know, I about fell out of my chair when I read in the [New York] Times this weekend that Hogan was calling me names,' Jealous said when he was initially asked whether he was a socialist. 

'When you see conservatives like Hogan name-calling, you realize that they're scared,' he added. 'What I am is a venture capitalist, and what I do is invest in growing businesses.' 

But when Washington Post reporter Erin Cox pressed him on whether he was a socialist, he responded with a chuckle: 'Are you fucking kidding me?'

Jealous became the youngest head of the NAACP at age 35 when he was elected to the position in 2008. He was a strong supporter of Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary and has embraced some of Sanders' liberal platform: likeMedicare for all and debt-free college.

Sanders is a self-identified 'Democratic Socialist' but Jealous has never used that term to describe himself while Republicans have used the term against him. 

Jealous explained to aBaltimore TV station that conservatives use it as a derogatory term against black leaders.

They 'like to brand black leaders as socialists to try and discredit us,' he said.  

Jealous apologized to the reporter for his words

Jealous apologized to the reporter for his words

Jealous said he is not a socialist but a venture capitalist

Jealous said he is not a socialist but a venture capitalist

The Washington Post reporter said she was not owed an apology

The Washington Post reporter said she was not owed an apology

Ben Jealous campaigning in Baltimore in August

Ben Jealous campaigning in Baltimore in August

'You saw Barry Goldwater do that to Martin Luther King Jr. We saw the Tea Party do it to President Obama and now Larry Hogan and his allies are trying to do it to me. I don't appreciate it. I don't think anybody in the state appreciates the governor dragging our politics into the mud,' he noted.

Jealous later apologized to Cox, who asked the question.

'I want to apologize to @ErinatthePost for my inappropriate language in response to her question earlier today. As a former journalist, I know how important it is for a free society to respect reporters and answer their questions honestly,' he wrote on Twitter.

He added: 'I'm a venture capitalist, not a socialist. I have never referred to myself as a socialist nor would I govern as one. 

Cox noted on Twitter that she did not think she was owed an apology. 

'For the record, I did not think @BenJealous was cursing at me; it was clearly his answer to the question about whether he identified as a socialist,' she wrote. 

Hogan claims he hasn't said that about Jealous, according to a Baltimore TV station.

'I don't know what he's talking about,' Hogan said. 'I've never said anything about him.'

Hogan is trying to become the first Republican governor to win reelection in the state in more than 60 years.

His campaign slammed Jealous for the use of the F-word. 

'The governor believes in raising the level of political discourse in our state and in our country, and cursing at reporters asking questions is the exact opposite of that,' Hogan campaign spokesman Doug Mayer said in a statement to The Washington Post. 'We need more people in public office who understand that words and tone matter, not fewer — we already have plenty who don't in Washington, D.C.'

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.