(The Hill) — South Carolina Democrats are demanding an apology from the state’s Republican Gov. Henry McMaster for comments he made at a South Carolina GOP convention.

According to a Tweet from The State reporter Joseph Bustos — which was then shared by Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Jaime Harrison — McMaster said at the convention over the weekend, “I look forward to the day that democrats are so rare, we have to hunt them with dogs.”

The Democratic Party in Anderson and Charleston counties put forth a petition on the DNC website asking the governor to “apologize and retract this racially-tinged dog whistle.” 

If he doesn’t, the state’s Democrats are asking the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division to “open an investigation into this threat and incitement of political violence.”

Harrison tagged former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and the state’s U.S. Sen. Tim Scott — both Republicans who are running for the White House in 2024 — in a reply to the contentious quote. 

“So @NikkiHaley & @SenatorTimScott … McMaster is your friend… y’all looking forward to this as well?! Given the sordid history of people being hunted down in the South … you would think a Governor in ‘23 would know better.. Right?!” Harrison wrote. 

A spokesperson for McMaster told local outlet WCIV that the governor “has been making this joke at GOP conventions for years, and everyday South Carolinians understand that it’s a joke.”