Mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan has a way of goofing up when he tries to be down.

At a Southeast Seattle candidate forum in late September, for example, we made fun of Mallahan for addressing his "brothers and sisters" in the audience.

His latest goof came during last night's KCTS debate. Totally weird moment when Mallahan said: "Africans endorse my candidacy."

Mallahan had just been called out by Mike McGinn for skipping  a recent Southeast Seattle meeting about gang violence.

Here's what Mallahan said in response:

"Larry Gossett an African Amercian civil rights giant endorsed me. James Kelly, the head of the Urban League, endorsed  me. [Former state Rep.] Dawn Mason endorsed me ... Africans endorse my candidacy ... the people of Southeast Seattle know me. When a Somali youth was accused of being a suicide bomber, I called up the elders of the Somali community, and I said, 'Hey, let's play soccer together.'"

Mallahan went on to say that he played soccer with the Somali youth.

Over at Slog , Charles Mudede, Seattle's brilliant philospher-shumba, reports on Mallahan's endorsement from the Africans.