Key Facts

• Senator Marsha Blackburn is running for governor of Tennessee.
• In her ad, she destroys fortune cookies as a symbol of cracking down on China.
• She promises to "stop communist China and protect Tennessee land."
• Fortune cookies are not originally Chinese but were brought to America by Japanese immigrants.
• The ad features a maneki-neko (beckoning cat) and Kikkoman soy sauce, both of Japanese origin.
• Fortune cookies and the cat are commonly seen in Chinese-American culture but actually come from Japan.
• The video quickly gained over 1.3 million views on social media.
• Some people criticized the ad, calling it racist due to its depiction and messages.