Texas politician files police report over AI-generated deepfake campaign ads
State Rep. Vikki Goodwin filed a police report accusing Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick of violating state law by releasing AI-generated deepfake videos of her on his X account in September 2026 that misrepresented her policy positions. The videos were posted within 30 days of early voting and were subsequently deleted. Patrick's campaign disputed the allegation, characterizing the content as obvious parody.
What happened
Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick's campaign released two AI-generated deepfake videos on Patrick's X account in September 2026 that appeared to depict State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, speaking about her policy positions. The videos misrepresented her views, particularly suggesting she favored raising taxes, contrary to her actual campaign statements.
Reported impact
Goodwin stated in a sworn affidavit that she did not personally do or say the things depicted in the videos. She said the deepfakes were posted with intent to deceive Texans, injure her candidacy, and influence the election result. Goodwin expressed concern that the videos could turn voters against her by falsely portraying her as supporting tax increases.
Index analysis
Goodwin cited a 2019 Texas law banning deepfake videos from being published or distributed within 30 days of an election. She noted that the posts violated this law because in-person early voting was set to begin on October 19 and mail-in ballots would soon be distributed. Patrick's campaign spokesman Allen Blakemore characterized the material as 'an obvious parody produced to entertain' and claimed the videos were not distributed within 30 days of the election, though the posts were still public when Goodwin filed her complaint.
Governance controls
Goodwin filed a police report with the Travis County Sheriff's Office on Saturday, September 21, 2026. The videos were subsequently deleted from Patrick's X account.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.