Vikki Goodwin, the Austin Democrat running for Texas Lt. Gov., has filed a police report accusing Dan Patrick’s campaign of breaking the law with deepfake campaign ads. Goodwin filed Houston Public Media’s report with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday, saying the ads posted on Patrick’s personal X account in September used AI-generated images of her that misrepresented her views.
Goodwin linked to two specific X posts in her affidavit, but both posts appear to have been deleted. In her affidavit, she said she did not personally do or say the things depicted in the video and that the “person” in the video appeared to be her but was not actually her. She said Patrick posted the video with the intent to deceive Texans, injure a candidate, or influence the result of an election.
The Affidavit’s Claims
Goodwin said the videos circulated within 30 days of early voting for the November election, which broke a 2019 state law. She said the deepfake images were used to make it appear that she supported positions she did not hold.
The law in question is a 2019 state statute, though the affidavit does not define its exact meaning. Goodwin’s complaint names intent to deceive, injury to a candidate, and influence on election results as the core claims.
Patrick’s Campaign Responds
Allen Blakemore, a representative for Patrick’s campaign, told The New York Times that the ads were “an obvious parody produced to entertain.” He said the ads were not distributed within 30 days of the election.
The campaign’s reading of the law depends on the timing of distribution. Goodwin’s affidavit says the videos circulated within 30 days of early voting.
The Case of Ken Paxton
The Patrick campaign is not alone in using AI for political ads this year. An AI-generated ad by Attorney General Ken Paxton depicted his Democratic opponent James Talarico reading from a Bible.
Talarico responded to the ad with a warning about the broader practice: “I think Texans are sick of these AI ads trying to deceive voters.”
What the Sheriff’s Office Has Said
The Travis County Sheriff’s Office confirmed receipt of Goodwin’s complaint but did not offer additional comment.
The deleted posts cannot be independently verified, and both sides’ claims rest on assertions about intent and timing rather than evidence.
The Paxton ad also raised questions about how campaign ads that use AI to alter a person’s image and words can be regulated under existing election law. Both cases raise the same question: whether campaign ads that use AI to alter a person’s image and words can be regulated under existing election law.
The law in question is a 2019 state statute, though the affidavit does not define its exact meaning. Goodwin’s complaint names intent to deceive, injury to a candidate, and influence on election results as the core claims.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs Vikki Goodwin’s right to accuse Dan Patrick’s campaign of using deepfake images, and is against any licensing or rule regime that would freeze today’s leaders in place and lock out whatever challenger might rise. The danger is not the technology itself but what happens when the biggest firms ask to be regulated: licensing regimes and compliance costs only giants can afford become a moat around them. When the biggest firms ask to be regulated, the paper asks who those rules would lock out.
The Goodwin complaint names intent to deceive, injury to a candidate, and influence on election results as the core claims. The paper backs narrow rules against direct harm, such as forcing companies to disclose safety failures they hid, and opposes broad rules that hand the market to the incumbents. The Paxton ad raises the same question: whether ads that use AI to alter a person’s image and words can be regulated under existing election law.
The deleted posts cannot be independently verified, and both sides’ claims rest on assertions about intent and timing rather than evidence. The reader should watch for any rule regime that favors today’s leaders over the challenger that might rise.
Key Facts Box
- Goodwin filed the report on Saturday with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office
- Two X posts linked in the affidavit appear to have been deleted
- The videos circulated within 30 days of early voting for the November election
- The 2019 state law applies to ads posted within 30 days of the election
A Schedule of Events
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Patrick’s ads posted on X | September |
| Goodwin files police report | Saturday |
The deleted posts cannot be independently verified, and both sides’ claims rest on assertions about intent and timing rather than evidence.
Source material: “Vikki Goodwin files police report saying Dan Patrick broke law with AI-generated campaign ads,” Houston Public Media.
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