State Sen. Pete Harckham called accusations that he supports antisemitic rhetoric "an offensive attack on his character."

He adding that he wholeheartedly rejects any type of hate.

"I have consistently denounced bigotry, hate speech, antisemitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, anti-AAPI hate - this has been a centerpiece of what I ran on," he said.

Harckham is being criticized by his Republican opponent for recently honoring two Carmel residents. The senator awarded Carmel School Board member Jim Wise and resident Abigail Santana for their efforts to help local LHBTQ+ youth.

The two have been criticized in the past for remarks that people say are antisemitic.

In response, Harckham said he is not antisemitic and condemns anti-Israel language. He called the attack by Gina Arena "political" and "highly irresponsible."

Arena took exception to the senator's actions and demanded more.

"People are questioning, OK, you stand by Israel but why aren't you denouncing this particular situation," she said.

Santana, who is not an elected official but a community advocate, said she is being unfairly attacked.

"I'm not antisemitic," she said. "I fight for anyone who needs my help [and] there are many people that can tell you in a nutshell how much I have done for them personally or as a group."

Last week, Wise claimed he was the target of a smear campaign in response to backlash over comments he made about the Israel-Hamas war.

"This is very much a fake, grassroots campaign designed to impact local politics," Wise said.

Last month, the school board voted 4-2 to censure Wise for what they deemed his use of "antisemitic rhetoric."

The New York Republicans and several elected officials have joined the nearly 3,000 people who have signed a petition calling on Wise to resign from his seat on the Carmel school board.

Wise said he would not step down.