Washington — Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican in a tight race for reelection, apologized for wearing blackface as part of a Michael Jackson costume when he was in college.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) apologized on Thursday after photos emerged of him wearing blackface while dressed as Michael Jackson during a college Halloween costume party in 2006. The big picture: The New York Times first reported on the photos of the 38-year-old Lawler,

The images emerged as Lawler, a first-term Republican, is locked in a competitive reelection fight for his congressional seat in New York's Hudson Valley.