A close House race in New York was rocked by a surprise in October when photos surfaced of the sitting Republican congressman in blackface as part of a Halloween costume years ago.

Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., who is white, is pictured dressed as pop sensation Michael Jackson, complete with bronzer to darken his face in an October 2006 photo reported by the New York Times. Lawler does not dispute the authenticity of the photo and has apologized to anyone who was offended, although he said he did not mean to dress in blackface.

“As has been well documented – most recently by the Daily Beast – I was a so-called ‘Super Fan’ of Michael Jackson, so much so that I was mentioned by name in his biography for my outspoken support of him and the Jackson Family. Michael’s music, I was impressed by him as an artist and his impact on pop culture,” Lawler said in a statement. “One of my fondest memories is attending his concert at Madison Square Garden before his untimely death.

“When I tried to imitate Michael’s legendary dance moves at a college Halloween party eighteen years ago, the ugly practice of blackface was the furthest thing from my mind. Let me be clear, it’s not that. My costume was previously intended as the sincere form of flattery, a sincere tribute to one of my childhood idols since I was a little kid trying to moonwalk around my mother’s kitchen.

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Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., talks to reporters after a House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“I study history and to anyone who is offended by the photo, I’m sorry. All you can do is live and learn, and I appreciate everyone’s grace along the way,” he said.

Lawler, 38, a moderate first-term lawmaker from the Hudson Valley, is seen as a rising star in the GOP conference who is running for re-election in a suburban swing district. His Democratic opponent in New York’s 17th Congressional District is former Rep. Mondaire Jones, a Black man. The Jones campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

The photos show representative Michael Lawler, pictured in October 2005, dressed as pop star Michael Jackson, complete with bronzer to darken his face. Lawler did not dispute the authenticity of the photos. (Published by the New York Times)

The race is one of 22 toss-up contests that could very well determine which party controls the House of Representatives next year, according to Fox News’ Power Rankings.

Lawler isn’t the first politician to be embroiled in the recent controversy over a costume that resembled blackface. Former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, faced calls to resign after a photo from his medical school yearbook surfaced showing men in Ku Klux Klan robes and blackface. Northam denied he was in the photo but admitted he once used shoe polish to darken his face during a dance competition in the 1980s, during which he also dressed as Jackson.

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Lawler is running against former Rep. Mondaire Jones. (Getty Images)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also faced controversy in 2019 when photos of him wearing blackface surfaced in 2001. The Prime Minister said in an interview after the fact that he could not give a definitive figure on how often he had worn blackface.

Lawler was photographed in his Jackson costume in New York City when he was a sophomore at Manhattan College, now Manhattan University, a Catholic school in the Bronx where only three percent of the student population is black, according to the New York Times.

Lawler, who was class valedictorian in 2009, was known for his love of Michael Jackson, the newspaper reported.

When Lawler was in high school in 2005, he flew from New York to California to attend part of Jackson’s criminal trial. The musician was accused of abusing a 13-year-old boy at his Neverland Ranch, although Jackson was ultimately acquitted.

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Michael Jackson performs “Thriller” on stage at Madison Square Garden as part of his 1988 Bad Tour. (George De Sota (ID 5073478)/Redferns)

Jackson biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli detailed in his book how he helped get Lawler in court, according to the Daily Beast. Taraborrelli wrote in “Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story” that the teenager was “so disgusted” by the testimony against Jackson “that he couldn’t help but mutter something derogatory under his breath.”

According to Taraborrelli, Lawler was overheard by court officials and “thrown straight out of the courtroom.”

The photos in question were posted to Facebook and show Lawler wearing a jacket reminiscent of the one Jackson wore in the “Thriller” music video.

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The New York Times quoted a person familiar with the costume as saying that Lawler had used bronzer borrowed from female classmates to darken his skin.

Lawler’s 2022 victory was one of several Republican victories in crucial New York districts, despite the state’s status as reliably blue overall. The 17th extends through four suburban counties outside New York City: Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester.

Emma Colton and Emily Robertson of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.