Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), who is running for Senate, released a campaign video last week that many Asian American groups and officials have accused of being “Sinophobic.”
Chairman and founder of super PAC AAPI Victory Fund Shekar Narasimhan released a statement on Twitter claiming that Ryan’s “us versus China” ad made Asian Americans “vulnerable to attack.”
“We must fight ignorance with education and good policy and governance, not inflammatory rhetoric,” stated Narasimhan.
In a retweet of the AAPI Victory Fund, Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) wrote that Ryan’s ad “essentially [shifts] blame away from American corporations’ anti-worker policies and [puts] a target on the backs of AAPIs.” She ended her post by calling on Ryan to “take down” his video.
In the video, Ryan blames China for job losses and price increases in the U.S.
“It is us versus China. And instead of taking them on, Washington’s wasting our time on stupid fights” Ryan says. “China’s winning. Workers are losing. It’s us versus them. Capitalism versus communism. I’m not backing down. Are you?”
He is filmed primarily talking to workers in construction hats and uniforms and workers inside a factory site.
“China is out-manufacturing us left and right. America can never be dependent on communism,” he continues. He ends the video by declaring, “It’s time to fight back.”
Ryan ran for president in 2019 and is currently the Democratic frontrunner for the Ohio senate race, endorsed by the Ohio Democratic Party. His campaign focuses on revitalizing the manufacturing sector of Ohio and increasing wages.
