The New York Times recently reported that Rep. Mike Lawler (R-New York) — who represents a hotly contested district — donned a blackface Michael Jackson costume as a 20 year-old college student. Now, the freshman lawmaker is battling accusations of racism just weeks before a close election. In his article, Times reporter Nicholas Fandos found that Lawler dressed as the King of Pop in 2006, wearing his signature red leather jacket from the “Beat It” video, along with a layer of makeup aimed at making his skin look darker. Fandos wrote that Lawler “described himself as an ardent Jackson fan” goi…