A longshot candidate for Louisiana governor is facing backlash for using a racist epithet on talk radio.

Gary Landrieu, a white independent, was on WGSO radio in New Orleans this week. The Advocate reports he was talking about names used against him when he was a child. One was a racially offensive term used against people who support African-Americans.

A Gary Landrieu spokeswoman said he was just bluntly explaining his childhood experiences as a nephew of former Mayor Moon Landrieu, who had championed civil rights.

Gary Landrieu’s campaign stances are starkly different from those of his famous relatives. For instance, he calls for protection of Confederate monuments. His cousin, former Mayor Mitch Landrieu, worked to remove three monuments to Confederate figures from New Orleans streets.