A campaign ad that portrays a congressional candidate as Snooki from the “Jersey Shore” reality TV show is being slammed as a bigoted and a slap at Italian-Americans. New Jersey Italian American Heritage Commission chairman Robert J. DiBiase wants Republican David Richter to pull his “Snooki ad” that compares rival Kate Gibbs to Nicole Polizzi, a controversial character personality on the show.

“You are equating an Italian-American candidate for Congress with a bigoted and repugnant TV show that portrayed Italian-American s as unlawful, uneducated fools,” DiBiase said in a letter sent to Richter and obtained by the New Jersey Globe. Gibbs is Italian American. DiBiase noted that former Gov. Chris Christie said that the show negatively stereotyped Italian-Americans.