A political ad that aired in Michigan during the Super Bowl is coming under fire because it featured an Asian woman in a way that minority groups said is racially insensitive and bigoted.

The 30-second ad for Pete Hoekstra, a Michigan Republican senatorial candidate, shows an Asian woman riding her bike through rice paddies. She stops, smiles and addresses the camera in broken English and refers to Hoekstra’s competitor, Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow.

“Thank you, Michigan Sen. Debbie Spenditnow,” the woman says. “Debbie spends so much American money. You borrow more and more from us. Your economy get very weak. Ours get very good. We take your jobs. Thank you, Debbie Spenditnow.”

Although the ad never mentions China, an accompanying website, www.debbiespenditnow.com, accuses Stabenow of “pouring American dollars into the Chinese economy.”

The ad was made by Fred Davis of California-based Strategic Perception Inc. and was filmed in California, reportedly with a Chinese American actress. Hoekstra told reporters that her parents were “100 percent Chinese.”

State Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, called the spot bigoted and said he was dismayed that an ad would caricature a racial group, especially an ad made by a California company.

“Pete Hoekstra’s ad and marketing ploy is not only offensive, but a blatant attempt to demonize Asian culture,” Yee said in a statement. “Using stereotypes in an attempt to win votes is ignorant and bigoted, and has no place in our discourse for public office.”

A group of African American ministers in Detroit and Asian American groups in Michigan also condemned the ad.

Hoekstra defended the spot, saying it had turned attention to government spending and captured the frustration of Michigan residents with Washington.