CLEVELAND -- The race for Ohio governor is taking a controversial turn because of a political ad, NewsChannel5 reported.

Some people believe an ad distributed by the Blackwell campaign is humorous, while others think it is offensive.

The campaign literature turned up on car windshield in Cleveland's eastern suburbs over the weekend, WEWS reported.

The ad shows a black man with an oversized head appearing to be in shock.

His hands are raised and the message reads, "Strickland for governor no way."

Blackwell's press secretary told NewsChannel5 that the ad was meant to be humorous to inform voters that Strickland's views are wrong for Ohio.

On blogs, some are comparing the ads to black minstrel performers. They also think it is insensitive, offensive and insulting.

There was similar reaction on the streets of Cleveland. Some said it was "childish" and "pretty degrading."

Voters say Blackwell is trying to hard to connect with black voters, and he missed the mark by trying to scare people away from Strickland using the caricature.

"Clearly, he could have made his point without that demeaning picture of a caricature of African-American males," said Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones.

Jones, a democrat, was disturbed by the Republican candidates choice of ads. He added that the "Amos and Andy" type of ad is consistent with the Blackwell campaign.

Carlo Loparo, Blackwell's press secretary, said, "Our goal is to get voter's attention and we have their attention and now we're gonna educate them about who Ted Strickland really is."

U.S. State Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones issued a statement about the ad saying: "By using a distorted caricature that is stereotypical and offensive it trivializes the importance of the African-American agenda."

Over the weekend, Tubbs-Jones, Jones and other elected democrats from northeast Ohio met to talk about how to throw their support behind Strickland.