Republican candidate Nick Pierson, who is running for U.S. Congress in Arizona, said on Tuesday that his Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, is “not a good example of a Mexican.”

The comments came during a Tuesday night debate between Pierson and Grijalva, AZCentral.com reported.

“I’ve been watching the incumbent since I was in college, and he’s not a good example of a Mexican,” Pierson said of Grijalva. “He’s not a good example of a Mexican American, and he’s not a good example of an American.”

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“He’s not a good role model for the people in our community,” the Republican candidate added. “This guy has been drunk on the job. There’s dozens of people who have seen this and witnessed this.”

Pierson accusations were apparently based on a secret settlement that became public in 2017.

“Quite frankly,” Grijalva shot back at one point, “if Mr. Pierson cares so much about this district, he should probably live in the district that he chooses to want to represent… You don’t live in the district.”

Both Pierson and Grijalva are of Mexican descent and were born in the United States.

Read the entire report from AZCentral.com and watch the video below.