Hoekstra's primary foe attacks 'demeaning' ad

Clark Durant, the well-connected conservative who is challenging former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) in the state's Senate GOP primary, is going on the attack just days after Hoekstra launched a controversial TV ad that featured an Asian actress speaking in broken English that has been criticized by some as racist.

The two are vying to run against Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.).

Durant held a Thursday morning press conference with Washtenaw County Commissioner Alicia Ping, an Asian-American Republican who switched her support from Hoekstra to Durant over the ad. She'd previously blasted Hoekstra's ad as "offensive and racist."

Durant's campaign also launched a television ad slamming Hoesktra for the ad and attacking his record on spending.

"Pete Hoekstra claims to know a lot about China," the ad's narrator says as a portion of Hoekstra's ad runs with the tag "Hoekstra's demeaning TV ad" superimposed on it. "Does he know the Chinese word for hypocrisy? Hoekstra attacks Debbie Stabenow for excessive spending. But like Stabenow, Hoekstra voted to increase the debt ceiling and spending by trillions of dollars, and Hoekstra voted for the Wall Street bailout."

Hoekstra has led by large margins in polls and is the odds-on favorite to be the GOP nominee, but Durant has had strong fundraising and focused on building support with Tea Party backers in the state.

Watch the ad here:

---