WASHINGTON _ Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris was picked for her color and her race, a North Carolina Republican congressman tweeted _ and then deleted _ during Wednesday's vice presidential debate.
Greg Murphy is a first-term Republican representative from Greenville. He was elected in a special election in 2019 to fill the 3rd Congressional District vacancy left by the death of Rep. Walter Jones.
"@KamalaHarris is a walking disaster. ... she was only picked for her color and her race ... . is that how we pick our leaders now in America??" Murphy tweeted.
Harris, a U.S. senator from California, is the first woman of color on a national ticket from one of the two major parties. She is Black and Asian American.
Harris and Vice President Mike Pence debated Wednesday night in Utah. ProPublica archived the tweet, which was deleted after an hour.
Wayne Goodwin, the chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party, called on Murphy to apologize.
"There is no place for racism in North Carolina, and based on the pure racism in this tweet, there is no place for Greg Murphy in elected office," Goodwin said in a written statement. "His sentiments aren't just offensive, they diminish the accomplishments of women of color in North Carolina and across our country."
Murphy's congressional office did not respond to an email seeking additional information about the tweet.
Murphy spent much of the debate weighing in on Twitter, posting several tweets questioning Harris' credentials.
"Biggest take away from the VP Debate _ @KamalaHarris is not qualified to be POTUS in any way, shape or form," Murphy tweeted.
Harris was a district attorney of San Francisco and the attorney general of California before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016.
In another tweet, he wrote, "Given the probability that @JoeBiden, given his mental condition, would not last the first term, the nation should be aghast to think that @KamalaHarris, with her ignorance, arrogance and socialist agenda, could be President. This nation has only one choice @realDonaldTrump."
Murphy, a urologist, has said several times that Biden is suffering from dementia.
He said Harris was an "avowed Marxist" in another tweet during the debate.
"Bad week for Dems.. the @CalforNC marital scandal, proof that @HillaryClinton is a scheming traitor and demonstration that @KamalaHarris is not fit to be VP, much less POTUS. And then there is poor @JoeBiden ... .the lies have finally caught up with you guys ... ," Murphy wrote in another tweet.
Murphy is running for reelection against Democrat Daryl Farrow. His district, which includes parts or all of 17 counties, is considered a safe Republican seat.
