Dem Candidate for U.S. Senate Makes Fun of Candy Crowley, Tells Male Moderator He's 'Prettier' Than Her

Arizona U.S. Senate candidates, Republican Rep. Jeff Flake, right, and Democratic Richard Carmona, left, shake hands as moderator Brahm Resnik looks on after a debate Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012, in Chandler, Ariz. The two are vying for the open seat left by a retiring Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. (Credit: AP)

During a televised debate, an Arizona candidate for U.S. Senate told the moderator that he was "prettier" than CNN's Candy Crowley, who moderated Tuesday's presidential debate. While Crowley has been under fire for her "fact-checking" of GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney on a Libya question, the attempted "joke" was petty and personal.

The debate was between Democrat Richard Carmona and his Republican rival Rep. Jeff Flake. After a rough patch during the debate, moderator Brahm Resnik joked "Now I know how Candy Crowley felt. Geez."

"You're prettier than her," Carmona replied, prompting nervous laughter from Resnik.

"I'm not sure how to take that," the moderator said.

Watch the clip here:

BuzzFeed reports "Flake has made allegations that [Carmona] has problems with women and accusing him of intimidating a former female employee."

After initially brushing off the comment as a "joke," the Carmona campaign released a statement on Friday, including an apology.

"I tried to tell a joke to lighten the mood in a debate. I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry," Carmona said in a statement.

Featured image courtesy of AP.