The Hoekstra ad shows Asian actress Lisa Chen riding through rice paddies.
(WXIA) -- Actress Lisa Chen, 21, has apologized for appearing in a television ad for a Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Michigan. The ad, which ran Super Bowl Sunday in cities in Michigan, created a firestorm of protest from many who called the ad racially insensitive.
Chen posted a formal written apology on her Facebook page:
"I am deeply sorry for any pain that the character I portrayed brought to my communities. As a recent college grad who has spent time working to improve communities and empower those without a voice, this role is not in any way representative of who I am. It was absolutely a mistake on my part and one that, over time, I hope can be forgiven. I feel horrible about my participation and I am determined to resolve my actions."
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The ad featured Chen bicycling up to the camera across a field of rice paddies. She rides up to the camera and stops, before talking in broken English while smiling into the camera.
"Thank you, Michigan Senator Spend-It-Now," the woman says, while smiling into the camera. "Your economy get very weak. Ours get very good. We take your jobs."
The ad then cut to candidate Pete Hoekstra sitting in front of a fireplace and comparing himself to incumbent Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow. The ad directed viewers to a website, which has since been removed, featuring Chinese characters, Chinese dragons and other Chinese images.
Hoekstra defended the ad in an interview with our sister newspaper, the Detroit Free Press, insisting there was nothing racist about the ad.
His campaign has declined to comment on Chen's Facebook post.