INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana's secretary of state on Tuesday visited radio talk shows and said he would use whatever words necessary -- "sorry," "apologize," or "mea culpa" -- to express remorse for using a slavery reference to describe black voting trends.

Rokita spent a half-hour on black-oriented WTLC-AM, with some callers saying that while they appreciated his apology they felt his remark was unprofessional.

When asked by the program host, Amos Brown, whether he was sorry about his remarks at a Republican Party dinner, Todd Rokita replied, "Absolutely."

He also discussed the issue Tuesday morning on Abdul Hakim-Shabazz's show on WXNT-AM.

During a speech last week at the Daviess County annual Lincoln Day Dinner, Rokita said 90 percent of blacks vote Democrat and questioned why. "How can that be?" Rokita said. "90 to 10. Who's the master and who's the slave in that relationship? How can that be healthy?"

Rokita asked forgiveness Monday for his comment as several black state legislators expressed anger.

A caller to Tuesday's show hosted by Brown said he was not sure Rokita was aware how such remarks offend people.

"I do understand it hurts. I don't think I did really in the beginning because of the way I meant it, which had nothing to do that was denigrating. I was trying to be positive and it came out the wrong way," Rokita said. "I don't think in my public life you've seen a pattern of this."

Rokita, who is the state's top elections officer, arranged to meet Wednesday with members of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus to discuss the slavery comment, said Democratic state Rep. Vernon Smith of Gary, the group's chairman.

"I think that once he has expressed his apologies and he is sincerely apologetic, then I don't think that we can ask for much more," Smith said. "All of us have slips of the tongue from time to time. We just have to make him sensitive to what you say and how it affects people."

Other members of the caucus said they were skeptical of Monday's request for forgiveness. Rokita had said on Monday: "If I offended anyone, then I ask their forgiveness because it was an insensitive metaphor."

"I think Mr. Rokita made matters worse yesterday in his apology ... by saying, 'If I offended anyone.' He offended thousands of people," said state Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary.

When 6News' Norman Cox met with the caucus's members to discuss Rokita's slave remark on Tuesday, Cox asked whether any of them thought Rokita should resign. One person, state Rep. Mae Dickinson, D-Indianapolis, raised her hand.

While one black legislator on Monday said Rokita's statement likened blacks to being uninformed and compelled to vote Democratic, Rokita said after Tuesday's radio interview that some blacks across the state felt political frustration.

"They get pressure from inside the community and they feel pressure from outside the community. I can't say that's everyone," Rokita said. "My observations are just that. They are my observations."

Smith said he believed black legislators would accept Rokita's apology, but that "If other people are not satisfied with that, then he'll have to deal with that."