This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCF chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
November is rapidly approaching. Our nation’s political scene is becoming the first light display of the holiday season with neon campaign billboards, saturated candidate statements, and the star of the show this season—AI campaign ads.
In the 2026 midterm election race, over $137 million has been invested in the use and creation of AI campaign ads by both political candidates and their supporting lobbyist groups. Over 80% of AI ads produced for this year’s midterm election have been endorsed and pushed out to the public by the Republican Party and its corresponding Grand Old Party political support group.
As AI use rises, misleading and defamatory messages have begun circulating across the media without any AI disclaimer. People being misled and manipulated into donating money is just one of the many risks these AI political ads pose. For example, several people were scammed into donating money to someone they thought was James Talarico, a Texas Democrat running for Senate, but they were actually donating to someone else’s pocket. Up until recently, the deepfake Talarico ad was a primary Google search result for “secure” donating.
Of the many AI campaign ads that have surfaced this mid-term election season, 69% are missing AI disclaimers. In 2024, Congressperson Shontel Brown, an Ohio Democrat, introduced legislation to help regulate the use of AI in election campaigns with the Securing Elections from AI Deception Act. Brown’s office has highlighted concerns about “deepfake advertisements” and the spread of misinformation through AI as the “deliberate spread of incorrect voting procedures.”
The following AI campaign ads are only some of the ones we’ve seen this year.
Bruce Blakeman’s Campaign Ad for New York State Governor Against Katy Hochul
Blakeman (R) posted an AI-generated video of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and current governor Katy Hochul walking through a park and gardening together. In the ad, Mamdani expresses concerns about New York taxes, crime, utility bills, and affordability. Blakeman slanders Hochul by having AI-generated Mamdani explain he still worries about these things since Hochul’s election to office, but simply chooses to blame “someone else.”
@bruceblakemanforgovernor via Instagram
Ken Paxton’s Campaign Ad Against James Talarico for Texas Senate
Republican Paxton’s ad shows Talarico drawing a self-portrait as a king whilst reading from a false King James Christian Bible. In the deepfake, Talarico reads that “God is Nonbinary,” “There are six genders,” and that “God is not a Christian.” Paxton then claims Talarico is not right for America, nor is he right for the State of Texas.
@thewesternjournal via Instagram
Senator Marsha Blackburn’s Campaign Ad for Governor of Tennessee
Senator Marsha Blackburn posted an AI-generated 12-second clip with a “kickoff” video of her in Kendrick Lamar’s place in his 2025 Super Bowl ‘Not Like Us’ performance. Her backup dancers: Representative Tim Burchett, Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty, and Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor, and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs dressed in his WWE wrestler Kane outfit.
@untolled.ai via Instagram
Front Line Action’s AI-Generated Ad of Florida’s Right-Wing Party Members
Front Line Action posted an AI deepfake of Florida Republican candidates, James Fishback and Dan Blizerian, hosting a party with members such as Nick Fuentes and Candace Owens. Democratic Party members AOC, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar, as well as members of Code Pink, Vladimir Putin, and Iranian Clerics were included in this party.
@americafirsthq via Instagram
Miriam Adelson’s AI-Generated Ad Against Thomas Massie for House Representative of Kentucky
In Miriam Adelson’s deepfake, she portrays her Republican opponent, Thomas Massie, in a scandalous affair with both representatives Ilhan Omar and AOC. The ad claims Massie is a traitor to President Donald Trump and calls for action to fire him.
@americafirsthq via Instagram
With hundreds of thousands of dangerous AI-generated ads being a large part of campaigning today, this serves as a warning sign for the future. Always be sure to check if the information you see online is trustworthy, made by real people, and not made with hateful intentions.
