Jamie Ager, the Democratic nominee in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District race, talks with News 13. (Photo: WLOS Staff)
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) —Jamie Ager, the Democratic candidate in the race for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, has released a statement in response to an AI-generated ad approved by Republican candidate Jennifer Balkcom.
The political attack ad, which many western North Carolina residents have likely seen recently as Election Day nears, was seemingly created by artificial intelligence and paid for by the National Republican Congressional Committee.
The ad depicts a series of Asheville drag queens and a person in a pup mask at a barn dance with Ager. The end of the ad includes the line, “Jamie Ager talks like you and me on TV, but he’s dancing with they/them,” referring to the LGBTQ+ community.
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In a video statement released Monday, Ager called the ad “100% fake AI-generated” and “bullcrap.”
“Our opponent is attacking us with 100% fake AI-generated lies. When you don’t have anything to run on in your campaign, I guess you have to resort to this kind of bullcrap to try to convince people to vote for you. I’m running a campaign based on the deep values we have here in western North Carolina, around politics that’s good for people, that builds up our community, and it makes a better future for our kids and the people that live here in western North Carolina,” Ager said in the video.
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Nova, an Asheville-based drag queen featured in the AI ad, told News 13 that she has never met Ager or attended a barn dance like the one depicted in the political ad. Nova said she has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Balkcom’s campaign.
One attorney said if the campaign doesn’t address the cease-and-desist order, there could be legal grounds to pursue a case of what’s called misappropriation.
Jennifer Balkcom’s spokesperson has not returned News 13’s request for comment about the ad.
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