South Carolina Republicans are pressuring GOP state Sen. Jake Knotts to quit in “disgrace” because he referred to gubernatorial nominee Nikki Haley as a “raghead.”

The comment brought “shame” to both Knotts and the state, the Lexington County Republican Party said Thursday night in the resolution condemning the actions, Politico reported today.

Knotts, a key ally of one of Haley’s primary rivals, used the term during a recent interview to describe not only Haley, who is the child of Sikh immigrants from India, but also President Obama, according to Politico.

Knotts, who says he won’t resign, issued a clarifying statement later that he believes Haley “is pretending to be someone she is not, much as Obama did, but I apologize to both for an unintended slur,” Politico reported.

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