Race is “always a factor” in Bermuda political campaigns, but the so-called UBP “secret plan” is not being used as the Progressive Labour Party’s “trump card”, according to Premier Paula Cox.Her remarks were made in response to questions at Wednesday’s Alaska Hall press conference in which she denounced a television report which linked her party to a document on “racist politics”.The Premier was asked what role race plays in Bermuda election campaigns.“When people are making a decision as to how to mark their ballot, it’s going to be about what party they believe will stand strong for them,” she said.“And when we still have a country where in many aspects we still see that there are sometimes areas that are considered no go areas based on the colour of your skin, it certainly has an impact on how you choose to vote. It’s clear. There are different expectations, different requirements of different constituencies you visit.”She continued: “I think that what we are going through right now — where people are still struggling — what they are looking for is a government and a party that has made, and continues to pledge, to help raise their level and also address their needs. So even though you may not make race your calling card as your front line in your election strategy, we would be naive if you ignore the factor of race.”But the Premier added that it was “reprehensible” to “try and market ourselves as something that we are not, purely to try and dupe people into voting for us. “That can’t be good.”She said her party believed in transparency, not “cover-ups”.“What we cannot support and what we must find indefensible is when you seek to use people purely because they are black or white as a means of perpetrating a fraud on the voting public.“That’s not what we stand for.”Bermuda’s voters will be choosing between “a party which you see who we are — warts and all — what you see is what you get” and “a party where it seems there is a report and it seems that the basis of that report is that we are seeking to cover up the real deal”.But she said that the PLP is not relying on the “secret report” — where it is suggested that the UBP should have used “black surrogates” and lowered the profile of its then leader Michael Dunkley during the 2007 election campaign.“The report is not something that the PLP has made its trump card, far from it. It has come into the public domain but that’s not what we rely on,” she said.“What we rely on is going out into the highways and byways of this country. Talking to the people and telling them what our plans are. And we’ve done it as a government and we’ve done it as a party. You can’t ignore what is also in the public domain and that also will factor into people as they consider the choice.”She said: “What we are saying is that race is a factor. And we are saying, as people make their choice, they will have to look at a party that stands on its record, and stands up for Bermudians and stands strong for Bermudians, and a party that people aren’t sure what the real deal is.”