Criminal complaint filed against Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick over AI attack ads

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FOX 4
Published September 22, 2026 5:37 PM CDT

The Brief

    • Texas State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, the Democratic nominee for Texas Lt. Governor, has filed a criminal complaint against current Lt. Governor Dan Patrick over two AI attack ads.
    • Goodwin claims the ads, which portray Goodwin at a University of Texas football game with a shirt that reads "taxes" instead of "Texas", violate Texas' law on deepfake videos.
    • Patrick has since deleted the ads from social media. A spokesperson for Patrick told the New York Times the videos were an "obvious parody produced to entertain."

AUSTIN, Texas - This election cycle has seen multiple candidates utilize artificial intelligence to attack their opponents, and at least one attack ad has led to a legal complaint being filed.

AI attack ads criminal complaint

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks at the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 10, 2026. (FOX Local)

What we know:

Texas State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, the Democratic nominee for Texas lieutenant governor, has filed a criminal complaint against current Republican Lt. Governor Dan Patrick over two political ads featuring AI-generated images of Goodwin.

The complaint, filed to the Travis County Sheriff's Office, alleges that Patrick violated a Texas state law banning deepfake videos, which was passed by the Republican legislature in 2019.

Part of the law says political ads that use artificial intelligence cannot be published within 30 days of an election. The complaint was filed on September 19, 30 days away from the start of early voting in Texas.

AI political ad
AI political ad
AI political ad
AI political ad

Dig deeper:

The two ads feature AI-generated images of Goodwin at a University of Texas football game. In the video, she is seen wearing a burnt orange T-shirt that says "taxes" instead of "Texas."

The ads also attack Texas State Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, and Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic candidate for Texas governor.

In the complaint, Goodwin states she did not personally do or say things alleged in the videos.

The other side:

A spokesman for Patrick told the New York Times the videos were "obvious parody produced to entertain."

Both videos have been deleted from social media.

Texas Capitol

What they're saying:

Rice University political science professor Mark Jones explains more on the law Goodwin mentions in the complaint.

"I think from the legal challenge, it depends on what you consider election day as. If it is early voting, we are in it. If it is election day we are not," Jones explains.

"Texas does have a strict law that you can use these AI ads in the final 30 days, but, of course, it requires enforcement, which Goodwin is seeking. These AI ads can be effective, especially in the Paxton/Talarico ad, which artfully on the Paxton camp parts had Talarico speaking words he wished he did not say."

What's next:

The Travis County Sheriff's Office has not returned FOX 4's request for comment on the status of the complaint.

The Source: Information in this story comes from the Texas Tribune and FOX 4 reporting.

Texas Politics2026 Elections