Dressing as your favorite presidential nominee for Halloween could be socially risky this year if you're white and don't want to spend $20 for a mask.

No problem if you're a John McCain supporter: Wrinkles and white hair will do the trick.

But if Barack Obama's your man, do you darken your face to resemble his African-American skin tone?

"It's uncharted territory that we're in," said state Sen. Ray Miller, a Democrat from Columbus and one of several black leaders who commented on the subject. "We've made a lot of progress in America on the issue of race relations, and we need to be careful not to move backwards. Something like painting your face I would discourage."

Saturday Night Live was criticized in February when white comedian Fred Armisen was chosen to impersonate Obama on the television show. Armisen wears dark makeup when he's playing the Democrat, who is the first black presidential nominee for a major party, reminding some people of the negative connotations of blackface.

The Costume Specialists store in the Town and Country shopping center has had a few people come in looking for makeup to pose as Obama, manager Kathy Hyland said.

"I don't get the feeling they're trying to mock him or disparage him in any way, shape or form. A lot of times, they're going with a whole group in political costumes and one person has to be Obama," she said.

Masks of Obama and McCain, the Republican Party presidential nominee, are popular sellers right now, Hyland said. Obama masks are the hottest, she and employees at other Columbus costume shops said.

But plenty of people want to pose as Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Some Palin masks recently became available online, but most local stores don't have them.

Instead, Hyland suggests a wig and glasses to create the Alaska governor's look.

And for those who want to pose as "Joe the Plumber," the Ohioan whose on-the-stump interaction with Obama has become a McCain campaign prop, she suggests a work shirt with the name "Joe."

Miller said he has no problem with whites who wear a mask of Obama's face. Political masks have been worn at Halloween for years, he said.

Napoleon Bell II, interim director for the Columbus Community Relations Commission, agreed that using makeup to darken a white face for Halloween could be misinterpreted.

"To actually blacken the face I would think would give off the wrong perception, regardless of why the person was doing it. The perception could be that someone's going out in blackface, and you wouldn't want to project that," Bell said.

Dan Williamson, spokesman for Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman, wouldn't ask the mayor about the issue and "draw him into this debate."

"The only way I'm going to answer is to say that, if you go down to Yankee Trader, you could get a Barack Obama mask you could wear, and you could avoid that issue."

Janet Santone, owner of Schoolkids costume shop in Athens, expects that Ohio University students will be in next week to buy dark makeup to be Obama.

"I think at Halloween nobody minds," Santone said. "White guys will do the black-guy thing, with an afro. It's a way for people to let loose and not be so serious all the time."

She said she already has sold plenty of wigs, glasses, jackets and black-leather skirts to mostly young men who want to dress as Palin. One man, who's black, bought white makeup to complete his Palin look, Santone said.

"I think she's going to be the most popular to make fun of."

kgray@dispatch.com