You’ve probably seen it in your mailbox.
A camouflage-clad Lt. Col. Matt Boehnke appears beside the words “Service. Strength. Conservative Leadership” on an 11-by-6 inch campaign leaflet.
A bookmark logo proudly declares this candidate is “Endorsed By Congressman Dan Newhouse.”
The other side asserts that “Washington needs backbone,” and “Matt Boehnke has it,” listing the eight-year Washington lawmaker’s resume as he runs for the 4th Congressional District. A stoic Boehnke stands in full military dress, with his name tag reading “Krebs.”
Wait — “Krebs”?
There are more than a few things wrong with this mailer paid for by the conservative GOPAC Election Fund that went out last week to Central Washington voters.
First among them is that Boehnke, despite his close ties to the sitting congressman, has not been formally endorsed by Newhouse. He’s instead been backed by former Rep. Doc Hastings, Newhouse’s predecessor.
Secondly, the “Krebs” kerfuffle is likely part of a broader trend of the sharp embrace of artificial intelligence — both online, over the air waves and in print — in the world of marketing and advertising.
Despite its improvements, the nascent technology remains prone to hallucinations and errors that can lead to audience misinterpretations or confusion.
Still, many campaigns and political action groups across the Evergreen State, and even here in the Tri-Cities, are taking to the technology to create yard signs, social media posts and graphics on the cheap. The mailer was first flagged by Jerrod Sessler, the Prosser businessman, who is also running for the 4th Congressional District race and has himself dabbled in AI-made imagery.
Boehnke’s campaign did not approve or authorize the mailer and outside spending, according to the material.
“We were unaware of it until it arrived in some of our mailboxes. Matt was honored to be Congressman Newhouse’s guest at the State of the Union, but we have not discussed an official endorsement with the congressman,” Emily Garza, Boehnke’s campaign manager, told the Herald this week.
Boehnke is a Kennewick educator and well-known Tri-Cities lawmaker who served eight years in Olympia. He’s a national cybersecurity expert who teaches at Columbia Basin College in Pasco and has worked for Energy Northwest.
This mailer was paid for by GOPAC Election Fund, a D.C. area-based hybrid PAC that supports “prepared and tested leaders ready to run for higher office.”
It’s chaired by Republican strategist David Avella. The PAC is managed by GOPAC, a storied Republican organization that for decades has helped coach fiscally minded conservatives.
The organization’s election fund spends millions of dollars a year and is financially supporting 13 House Republicans mostly in Texas and Georgia races.
In Washington, they are backing Boehnke and John Braun, who is running in the swing 3rd Congressional District.
The fund has spent nearly $40,000 to help Boehnke’s campaign, according to FEC filings. That includes the $29,600 to political firm Strategic Impact to pay for the mailers.
In all, 11 candidates are running in Washington state’s most conservative congressional district. The top two will face off in the general election.
© 2026 Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, Wash.). Visit www.tri-cityherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
