John Reed, a gay Republican radio host running for lieutenant governor in Virginia, posted a 40-minute video of himself debating an AI-generated Democratic opponent after declining repeated requests for a debate.
attract attention videoThe video, posted to Reid’s YouTube channel, shows her standing behind a podium as if in a formal debate, facing what her campaign claims is an AI-generated version of state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D-Richmond), sharing her policy positions and a robot imitating her voice.
Mr. Reid’s campaign claims that he did not see the debate questions beforehand. They say even the host was a computer program.
The campaign conveyed that washington post They turned to the AI controversy after Hashmi repeatedly refused to meet them. The event was livestreamed to hundreds of viewers on Reid’s YouTube channel earlier this week and is still open to the public.
Noah Jennings, Reid’s campaign manager, said the team “aims to simulate a real debate that is fair and accurate.” [Hashmi]nothing spooky or overly dramatic. He added that they would have preferred a real discussion rather than what he called “gimmicks.”
While Glenn Youngkin won the gubernatorial race, there are no forums or formal debates in the lieutenant governor race, as was the case four years ago when Winsome Earl Sears defeated Democrat Hala Ayala.
Hashmi’s camp dismissed the stunt, saying: Axios The senator never authorized the use of her likeness.
“John Reed’s failure to use deepfakes is a desperate move straight out of Donald Trump’s playbook,” Eva Pitruzzello, a spokeswoman for Hashmi’s campaign, said in a statement. “I appreciate that AI Ghazala shares his vision for things like public education and a commitment to reproductive rights, but it’s clear that Reed only cares about dirty tricks and not governance.
“Maybe he should focus on the voters and not the videos. Besides, hasn’t he already gotten into enough trouble online?” Pitruzzello added, referring to the countless controversies surrounding his Tumblr account and harshly criticizing Reid.
“John Reid’s failure to use deepfakes is a desperate move straight out of Donald Trump’s playbook,” said Hashmi campaign spokeswoman Eva Pitruzzello. “While we appreciate that AI Ghazala shares her vision, including her commitment to public education and reproductive rights, it is clear that Reed is more concerned with gimmicks than governance.”
In X, the Virginia Democratic Party shared a screenshot of AI Hashmi’s response, saying it cast a positive light on both her and the party.
“Tonight we congratulate @SenatorHashmi on her victory in @JohnReid4VA’s fake debate. And thank you John Reid for sharing Ghazala’s message of victory,” the party wrote.
tonight we celebrate @Senator Hashmi to win @JohnReid4VAThank you to John Reed for sharing the fake debate and Ghazala’s message of victory. Here are some key quotes that John Reid shared from tonight’s debate. pic.twitter.com/ujsxIWKhOv
— Virginia Democratic Party (@vademocrats) October 22, 2025
Hashmi’s campaign aired two television ads, but Reid’s team instead published a web spot on YouTube and spread it on social media.
According to Virginia Public Access ProjectMr. Hashmi has raised more than five times the total amount of Mr. Reed and had nearly 10 times as much cash on hand as of September.
Despite Hashmi’s financial dominance and the Tumblr controversy that could derail him, gay Republicans seem largely unfazed and are running a credible and competitive campaign. recent washington postshire school public opinion poll Mr. Hashmi leads Mr. Reid by 4 percentage points within the margin of error. VCU Wilder School public opinion poll We found it to be about evenly matched at 44% vs. 43%.
Mr. Reid’s AI controversy may have been born out of frustration, but it perfectly captures a campaign moment in which technology continues to blur the line between strategy and spectacle. Voters will decide whether they see it as smart innovation or pure despair.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
