In a response, Cassidy didn't retract the comment. He says Reid runs the Senate "dictatorially," not allowing votes on items that he doesn't support. Cassidy said: "Any other interpretation of my remarks is a false controversy."
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rob Maness is calling on his fellow GOP contender in the race, U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, to apologize for saying that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid "runs the Senate like a plantation."
The quote was reported Tuesday by Environment & Energy Publishing.
Maness, a tea party favorite, says the language was offensive and extreme rhetoric. In a statement, Maness described Cassidy's statement as "over-the-top, out-of-bounds ignorance" that drives people away from the Republican Party.
In a response, Cassidy didn't retract the comment. He says Reid runs the Senate "dictatorially," not allowing votes on items that he doesn't support. Cassidy said: "Any other interpretation of my remarks is a false controversy."
Cassidy and Maness are challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu in the Nov. 4 election.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday he wants an apology from Cassidy over the comment.
Reid, D-Nev., told reporters that the comment was "insensitive, very insensitive."
"If there were ever a statement that deserved an apology this is it, big time," Reid said.
"I mean, has he been taking lessons from Donald Sterling?" Reid said, referring to the former NBA owner who made racist remarks.
Associated Press writers Melinda DeSlatte in Baton Rouge and Erica Werner in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.