(CNN) Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday criticized a television ad from a new Republican-aligned political action committee that calls her "ignorant" and sets fire to her picture.

"Republicans are running TV ads setting pictures of me on fire to convince people they aren't racist," the New York Democrat tweeted. "Life is weird!"

The 30-second spot, which aired during Thursday's Democratic national debate on ABC , is the first public splash from the New Faces GOP PAC, run by former congressional candidate Elizabeth Heng.

It opens with an image of Ocasio-Cortez, whom Heng calls the "face of socialism and ignorance." Ocasio-Cortez's face then burns away to reveal images of skulls.

Heng, a Cambodian American touted as a young, rising Republican star during her unsuccessful bid for a US House seat in California last year, recounts her family's flight from socialism in Cambodia in the 30-second spot.

Read More