Nearly $80 million Spent on AI-Generated Political Ads Ahead of 2026 Midterms

A new analysis shows that political campaigns and allied outside groups have spent close to $80 million on at least 164 advertisements that were either created or heavily altered with artificial intelligence by early September. Notable examples include a six-figure ad by Citizens for Sanity that morphs Texas Senate candidate James Talarico into a Julie Andrews-style singer mocking his stance on gender transition, and a Republican New York gubernatorial ad by Bruce Blakeman portraying Governor Kathy Hochul in a mock “delusion pill” commercial.

A Texas super-PAC tied to Sen. Ted Cruz funded an AI-generated spot targeting Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed with inflammatory imagery, while Senator Marsha Blackburn’s campaign shared an AI clip of herself rapping to Kendrick Lamar. Democrats have lodged a Board of Elections complaint alleging the ads are materially deceptive, yet experts question whether the AI novelty translates into voter persuasion. The Wesleyan Media Project notes that Republicans are responsible for roughly 83 percent of the AI ad outlay, and the lack of disclosure rules suggests actual spending could be higher.