Ron DeSantis, the Trump-backed Republican candidate for Florida governor, told voters on Fox News Wednesday morning not to "monkey this up" by voting for his Democratic opponent Andrew Gillum, who would would be the state's first black governor if elected.
What they're saying: Social media and cable news erupted over DeSantis' choice of words, which many viewed as a racist dog whistle. Critics immediately drew comparisons to the Roseanne Barr controversy in which the TV star lost her show for likening former Obama staffer Valerie Jarrett to an "ape." But DeSantis' spokesperson told MSNBC that he "was obviously talking about Florida not making the wrong decision to embrace” Gillum’s policies, and “to characterize it as anything else is absurd."