A nonprofit that tracks political advertising found at least 220 AI-generated political ads circulating ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, with spending reaching $137 million. Most ads came from Republican candidates or aligned PACs. In the Texas Senate race, the Paxton campaign distributed a fake ad showing Talarico with altered statements about God and gender.
Where
Statewide
When
Oct. 19, 2026
Sources
Reported by 2 outlets
Taxes and money
The sources don't state an effect on taxes. They do state these figures.
Spending on AI-generated political ads$137 million1
Spending on AI-generated political ads in 2024 presidential race$50,0001
Cost of AI-generated ads compared to traditional adsabout 10%1
Coming up
Tuesday, November 3, 2026. U.S. midterm elections1
Who's involved
Wesleyan Media Projectnonprofit that released report on AI-generated political ads
Ken PaxtonRepublican candidate in U.S. Senate race in Texas
James TalaricoDemocratic candidate in U.S. Senate race in Texas
Frontline Actionconservative super PAC spreading synthetic video in Michigan Senate race
The facts
Wesleyan Media Project found at least 220 AI-generated political ads circulating ahead of Nov. 3 midterms.1
81% of AI political ads were produced by Republican candidates or Republican-aligned PACs.1
12% of AI political ads were from the Democratic side.1
Republicans accounted for 88% of total AI ad spending.1
Ken Paxton's campaign circulated a fake ad showing James Talarico with altered statements about God and gender.1
Frontline Action spread a synthetic video in Michigan Senate race showing Abdul El-Sayed with altered statements.1
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
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$more than $81,000 for ad spending on direct mail media
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