GOP Candidate Shares AI-Generated Video of Black Voters Praising Him, Then Claims a Democrat Created It

A Republican candidate for a key Texas county office is facing an awkward campaign controversy after a video showing Black residents praising him for providing jobs, food, and help with electricity bills was identified as AI-generated—only for his campaign to claim that a Democrat was behind it.

Daniel Wong, the interim Fort Bend County judge running against Democratic challenger Dexter McCoy in the 3rd November midterm elections, reportedly shared the video on his official campaign Facebook page. The Fort Bend County Republican Party also shared it, according to a media outlet.

But what appeared to be a feel-good endorsement quickly turned into a political headache when viewers began questioning whether the footage was genuine.

The controversy has raised questions about how the video reached Wong's campaign and why it was shared on its social media platforms. The campaign has denied producing the clip, but has not publicly identified its creator.

'He Gave Me a Job': The Video That Raised Eyebrows

The clip featured four Black people expressing support for Wong, with several apparently crediting him with helping them find work or meet basic household needs.

One man said Wong had given him a job. Another claimed he had helped turn his electricity back on, while two women spoke about receiving food and assistance with finding employment.

Wong's post thanked the people featured for standing by him despite political opposition, describing their backing as loyalty. There was just one problem: the video appeared to have been artificially generated.

There were visible distortions in the footage, including a warped building and a distorted Daniel Wong hat. The speakers also appeared to share strikingly similar voices and vocal tones, which raised questions about whether the endorsements had been authentically recorded.

The people depicted were reported to be real, including one woman who worked as a poll worker for Wong. However, the statements and images presented in the video were not authentic representations of what they had said or done.

Campaign Blames a Democrat, Without Naming One

Once the video began attracting criticism, Wong's campaign took it down and issued a statement distancing itself from its creation. The explanation? A Democrat supposedly made it.

'The video that has purportedly stirred "outrage" among Democrats was actually created by a Democrat,' the campaign reportedly said in a response to mounting questions. It maintained that the clip had been shared with the campaign but was not produced by its team.

Note that there was no name attached to that accusation. The campaign did not identify the alleged Democratic creator, but also did not deny that the video was AI-generated.

Instead, it turned its fire on McCoy, accusing him of playing the 'race card' by criticising Democrats who support Wong. It also challenged McCoy over his conduct at county meetings and budget hearings.

McCoy's Response? Real People, Real Footage

McCoy did not let the controversy pass without a response of his own. The Democratic candidate posted a video showing himself interacting with residents, accompanied by a pointed message: 'Can you spot the AI? Nah you can't.'

McCoy's response contrasted the disputed AI-generated clip with footage of his own interactions with residents as part of his community outreach efforts.

The controversy has also prompted criticism of the original video's message. Attorney and political commentator Erika Harrison argued that Black communities wanted meaningful policies that benefit future generations, rather than a campaign narrative centred on individual handouts.

A Particularly Awkward Moment Before Elections

Wong has served as interim Fort Bend County judge since April, following the removal of former judge KP George after his money-laundering conviction. He is now seeking a full four-year term against McCoy, a county commissioner.

The latest episode highlights a growing problem for political campaigns: AI-generated material can make an endorsement look convincing until someone notices the visual glitches, questions the voices, or checks whether the people shown actually said what the video claims.

In Wong's case, the campaign's explanation has created a second question alongside the authenticity of the endorsements: who supplied the video, and why was it shared in the first place?