PHOENIX – A recent television advertisement targeting Republican state treasurer and superintendent of public instruction candidate Kimberly Yee is drawing severe backlash.

Candidates on both sides of the aisle are calling the advertisement racist, saying it attacks Yee’s Chinese American heritage.

What we know:

The advertisement uses stylized fonts, gong sounds, and a backdrop that critics argue rely heavily on Asian stereotypes to attack Yee.

She calls the advertisement revolting, and while it was funded by out-of-state donors, she is blaming her primary opponent, current Superintendent Tom Horne.

“This is a racist ad. It’s revolting. It is not what Arizonans stand for,” Yee said.

The advertisement says it is paid for by Arizonans for Election Integrity with 100% from out-of-state donors, with Conservatives for Effective Government providing its major funding.

While the advertisement explicitly states it is not authorized by any candidate, Yee still points the finger at Horne.

“Arizonans deserve better. Our families in education deserve better,” Yee said.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JULY 24: Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee speaks during the Rally To Protect Our Elections conference on July 24, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Phoenix-based political organization Turning Point Action hosted former President D

The other side:

For his part, Tom Horne strongly denies any involvement and agrees the advertisement is offensive.

In a statement posted to X, Horne wrote, “I’m shocked by the appeal to ethnic prejudice and denounce it. It was done by an independent group that by law I can have no communication with and have not had any. I hereby publicly and respectfully request they withdraw the ad or at least remove the references intended to appeal to ethnic prejudice.”

Democratic opponent Theresa Leyba Ruiz also weighed in, saying, “The racism displayed in this ad is disgusting and should be condemned. There is no place for this sort of behavior in Arizona politics.”

Meanwhile, the Arizona Asian Chamber of Commerce—which represents a population of more than 300,000 Asian Americans in the state—condemns whoever produced this spot.

Arizona Asian Chamber of Commerce president Ryan Winkle said, “It exhausts people. It starts making people think, ‘I would be a voter, but I got to deal with that now.’ So now they’re confused. What were the accomplishments? What were the ideas of the candidate?”

“Racism has no room in Arizona or anywhere else. It has no room in the Republican Party. It has no room in the Democrat Party,” Yee said.

Inquiries were sent to Conservatives for Effective Government, and they stated they have no comment. Inquiries were also sent to Tom Horne for an interview as well as Democratic candidate Brett Newby, but no response was received.