Democrat Blake Gendebien, who is challenging Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) for New York’s 21st Congressional District, released a partially artificial intelligence-generated campaign video Thursday that mocked Stefanik’s gubernatorial speculation.
The video shows Stefanik altered by AI in several scenarios, from speaking to the press to drinking a water bottle labeled “Lawler’s Tears.” The video’s soundtrack says at one point, “Am I running for governor? I just won’t say.”
It also features an AI-altered President Donald Trump saying, “I’ve got bigwigs waiting and whispers galore.”
AI deepfakes in campaign videos have been a hotly debated subject, especially during the 2024 election cycle. According to Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, more than two dozen states have restricted AI in campaigns or are considering legislation to do so.
Elise Stefanik is not fooling anyone. While she “considers” running for Governor, the people of the North Country lack adequate leadership in Congress. It’s time to change that.
Send a farmer to Congress. pic.twitter.com/YMMiCyf6P7
— Blake for the North Country (@BlakeGendebien) July 10, 2025
There is no label indicating the video is AI-generated until around the 37-second mark, when a message in small letters at the bottom says, “This ad was generated in whole or substantially by artificial intelligence.”
The video ends with a message in large type: “We decided to announce for Elise Stefanik, since she can’t seem to do it herself.”
Stefanik’s camp said the ad used “sexist, deceitful, and shameful AI imagery” to smear her.
“The desperate Far Left Democrat who made history in the first week of his campaign by hiding his vicious attacks on local correctional officers and pro-illegal amnesty positions now makes history by using sexist, deceitful, and shameful AI imagery smearing congresswoman Stefanik in a digital ad,” Stefanik Sr. Advisor Alex DeGrasse told the Washington Examiner.
“Voters know this is a disgrace, and Blake Gendebien is about to find out how much North Country voters are ashamed of him and his overpriced DC campaign hack that launched this sexist smear. North Country voters will swiftly demand his apology,” he added, concluding, “NY21 voters overwhelmingly support Elise running for Governor if she decides to run, where she will demolish Kathy Hochul.”
Stefanik has flirted with a 2026 New York gubernatorial bid for months and is considered the top GOP candidate. She has not announced her campaign yet, even though she and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) have traded shots at each other. The video references another GOP contender, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who is also considering a run for governor.
Gendebien may have not only offended Republicans with the ad but also the law, as his video may have violated New York election law.
A portion of the New York FY 2024-25 budget says a “person, firm, association, corporation, campaign, committee, or organization that distributes or publishes any political communication that was produced by or includes materially deceptive media and knows or should know that it is materially deceptive shall be required to disclose this use.”
And that for visual media, “the disclosure shall be printed or typed in a legible font size easily readable by the average viewer that is no smaller than other text appearing in the visual media and in the same language used on the communication to read as follows: ‘This (image, video, or audio) has been manipulated.’”
The video’s disclosure is smaller than other text lines in the video, such as the “We decided to announce for Elise Stefanik, since she can’t seem to do it herself” line.
Gendebien looks more competitive than other Democrats who have challenged Stefanik in the past, given that he has raised millions in the preceding months. This is likely due to the national prominence the NY-21 seat came to after she almost vacated it to become the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
STEFANIK HITS BACK AT HOCHUL AS SHE MULLS GUBERNATORIAL BID: ‘WELCOME TO THE FIGHT’
While he will run in 2026, it’s unclear if Stefanik will run for governor or reelection to her House seat.
The Washington Examiner contacted Gendebien’s campaign and the New York State Board of Elections for comment but did not receive a response.
