Groups Ask Candidates To Reject Racist Ads
LANSING (WWJ) - A coalition of nearly two dozen civil rights groups is calling on all Congressional candidates to make a pledge against "racially insensitive" campaign commercials.
Stephanie Chang from the group "Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote" said, so far, Pete Hoekstra, the candidate whose Super Bowl ad started a political firestorm, is standing his ground.
"He's actually publicly stated that he will not pull the ad, which is very disappointing," Chang told WWJ Newsradio 950. "You know, as a former Congressman and someone who we should be holding to a very high standard, instead of the low bar that he's now set for himself, it's very disappointing."
"You know, these words have meaning and words have an impact. And so we are disappointed that he has not yet apologized," she said. "But what we are doing today is really emphasizing the positive and asking candidates to take the high road."
Hoekstra's commercial features a young Asian woman speaking broken English and riding a bike through a rice paddy.
Hoekstra has said the ad was meant to be satirical and is only offensive to his opponent, Debbie Stabenow. The Hoekstra campaign said the ad "remains in rotation."
