TAMPA, Florida - Officials with the Hillsborough County chapter of the NAACP reacted to a YouTube clip Friday that some say shows GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum starting to call President Obama the n-word.
"I think he said it. He may not have went all the way. He let the first syllable out, enough that it was on its way. It is not unusual for Rick Santorum," said chapter president Carolyn Collins.
The flub came Tuesday while Santorum was speaking to a crowd in Wisconsin. Santorum appeared to briefly stumble over his words. "We know... we know the candidate Barack Obama, what he was like. The anti-war, government nig-- uh, the, uh, America was a source for division around the world."
10 News wanted to know what other Bay area residents heard in the clip. Some say, they're not sure.
"Uh, you know, it's hard to say," said Cliff Wright.
Others, though, believe they did hear Santorum start to say the n-word.
"Almost. I mean, it was close. He might have been talking about something he shouldn't have been saying. He may have been walking into a corner," said Chris Vernon.
"If I heard it, then he said it. Or he was thinking it," said Lynne Gutstein.
Collins said if indeed that's the case, it's a shame. "I feel sorry for the party that has to have the choice to make, and he's one of the choices," she added.
According to reports, Santorum's team denies that he said the n-word, calling it absolutely ridiculous.
Scroll down to watch video of Santorum's controversial stumble:
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