A television attack ad in Arizona’s race for state schools chief has ignited backlash after referring to Asian-American candidate Kimberly Yee as the “empress of DEI.”
The spot, aimed at Yee, 52, who currently serves as Arizona state treasurer, also featured imagery and design choices critics say relied on stereotypes associated with Chinese culture, including stylized lettering, colors and music.
Its soundtrack included the sound of an erhu, a traditional Chinese two-stringed instrument, along with a gong heard in the background.
The ad was produced by Arizonans For Election Integrity, a California-based dark-money group, as the Republican primary contest for Arizona’s next superintendent of public instruction heats up.
The group received financial support from Conservatives for Effective Government, a registered Super PAC.
Yee and her GOP primary rival, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, have both condemned the ad as racist. Yee, however, has continued to argue that Horne and his political allies were responsible for the message.
She made that accusation during an appearance on 2News KPNX in Phoenix on Tuesday, after the ad was removed from the internet following swift political blowback.
“Horne and his supporters are clearly putting out these ads, and it is revolting. It’s racist,” Yee said.
Kimberly Lee is a candidate in the Arizona superintendent race. A screenshot from a June 2026 ad against Yee is seen here
Yee, 52, was born and raised in Arizona with ancestry there going back to the 30s, when her great-great-grandfather emigrated to the US
‘And it’s very clear because he has a long-standing history of coordinating with independent expenditure campaigns just like this.
‘They’re dark money campaigns,’ she declared. ‘They hide behind a different name.’
Horne told The Arizona Republic in a piece published Wednesday that he had no communication with the groups behind the commercial. He also said he rejected it as racist.
‘I think that it’s possible for them to run an ad criticizing her participation in the DEI committee without engaging in racism, because I’ve done it,’ Horne told the paper.
In a Tuesday interview with AZ Family, he claimed the commercial left him ‘profoundly shocked’ when he saw it.
‘And it’s an independent campaign out of state. It’s illegal for me to have any communication with them,’ the incumbent emphasized.
Yee, meanwhile, has also pushed back on the commercial’s other message – the claims of her pushing a diversity, equity, and inclusion agenda.
‘That is a lie. And in fact, my longstanding record has been fighting against radical DEI policies,’ Yee told News 12 during her interview.
ALSO READ: Unmasking the Church: Hugh Jackman's Faith and Emily Watson's Chilling Accusations
An outside political group funded the attack ad, which utilized imagery and music associated with Chinese culture
Yee and her opponent, Tom Horne (pictured), have denounced the ad as racist
Horne, in a Tuesday tweet, ‘respectfully’ requested the Arizonans For Election Integrity remove the ad from syndication as it continued to air across Arizona.
Horne previously accused Yee, the first Asian-American woman elected to the Arizona State Legislature, of serving on a DEI committee under the National Association for State Treasurers, which she fiercely denies.
‘I’m sure it was a mistake by the National Association for State Treasurers because I would know what committees I serve on and I’ve opposed DEI from its very inception,’ Yee said after Horne posted an archived page from the association’s website that listed Yee as chair.
Horne, in a Tuesday tweet, ‘respectfully’ requested the Arizonans For Election Integrity remove the ad from syndication as it continued to air across Arizona.
Both candidates are competing for the GOP nomination.
‘Meet Kimberly Yee, she’s the Empress of DEI. Yee led a national shadow government of bureaucrats pushing an extreme diversity equity and inclusion agenda. Kimberly Yee. Too liberal for school superintendent,’ the commercial’s narrator states.
A mandatory disclaimer flagged the funding from Arizonans for Election Integrity and Conservatives for Effective Government.
A company called Red Eagle Media, which made the ad buys on local stations 3TV and CBS5, listed Jon Huey as a treasurer for Arizonans for Election Integrity, the Arizona Republic reported.
Arizonans for Election Integrity is based in El Dorado Hills, California. Conservatives for Effective Government is based in Florida.
Horne was previously exonerated in an alleged 2010 scheme to fast-track his reelection as state Attorney General with an allegedly independent advocacy campaign.
Neither Horne or Yee immediately responded to requests for comment on Wednesday.
