Hoekstra's ad will run in Michigan during the Super Bowl and afterward. | John Shinkle/POLITICO Hoekstra Super Bowl ad hits a nerve

The campaign of former Rep. Peter Hoekstra for U.S. Senate explained a racially charged Super Bowl advertisement they developed – complete with an Asian actress speaking in broken English – as a reflection of China’s increasingly competitive education system.

The campaign of the Michigan Republican hit racial notes as a new advertisement argued that the policies of incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) were helping China to the detriment of the United States.


The advertisement, which will run in Michigan during the Super Bowl and afterward, features an Asian female with a conical straw hat riding a bike through a rice paddy field.

“Your economy get very weak. Ours get very good [sic],” the actress says, in broken English.

“Thank you Michigan Senator Debbie ‘Spend-it-now’. Debbie spend so much American money [sic],” the actress says, without a Chinese accent. “You borrow more and more, from us… we take your jobs. Thank you Debbie ‘Spend-it-now.’”

The Hoekstra campaign called the advertisement “satirical” and explained the broken English in the video as a reflection of China’s increasingly competitive education system.

“You have a Chinese girl speaking English - I want to hit on the education system, essentially. The fact that a Chinese girl is speaking English is a testament to how they can compete with us, when an American boy of the same age speaking Mandarin is absolutely insane, or unthinkable right now,” Hoekstra spokesperson Paul Ciaramitaro told POLITICO. “It exhibits another way in which China is competing with us globally.”

“I think that China is our global competitor and the facts are what they are. They hold $1.1 trillion of our debt, their economy is booming, ours is not. It’s not a racial overtone to compare yourself to competitors on the global stage,” added Ciaramitaro. “I think the viewer of an ad is going to recognize satire. … I wouldn’t agree of the characterization [of the ad] as racial.”

The advertisement also features a video of Hoekstra, saying, “I think this race for Michigan Senate is between Debbie ‘spend-it-now’ and Pete ‘spend-it-not’ - I’m Pete ‘spend-it-not’ Hoekstra.”

The ad buy, according to Hoekstra’s campaign, begins Sunday and will run for two weeks. The advertisement has already run in the Detroit, and will run in every one of Michigan’s television markets.

“The concept is highlighting Stabenow’s abysmal spending record, and the real-life consequences of that. The campaign decided to go with a satirical approach that would generate some buzz and discussion,” said Ciaramitaro.

Only 2.4 percent of Michigan’s population is Asian, compared to 4.8 percent for the United States.

The 30-second ad was filmed in California, according to the Associated Press.

Democrats responded swiftly to the advertisement with a statement slamming Hoekstra's record, including his vote on TARP.

“Hoekstra's ad is nothing more than a hypocritical attempt at a Hollywood-style makeover because the fact is, Pete spends a lot. Hoekstra voted for the $700 billion Wall Street bailout and voted for trillions more in deficit spending before quitting Congress to get rich at a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm," said Mark Brewer, the Michigan Democratic Party chairman. "Hoekstra is using the big game to play games with Michigan voters, covering up his real record on deficit spending and rigging the rules for the big money insiders he serves."