The ads were not typical political fare.
In one, U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum, the 5th District incumbent, appears with Gov. Tina Kotek in a bizarre scene: Both Democrats are dressed in black and Kotek’s eyes glow red as the two women run, breathless and zombie-like, behind three small girls in white nightgowns. Blood gushes from the mouth of a woman in black who stands behind them all.
In another, about “protecting Title IX and real women,” Bynum, who operated McDonald’s franchises with her husband, appears in an exaggerated McDonald’s uniform alongside a drag queen. Bynum ushers the drag queen into a girls locker room, saying, “Don’t let me down.”
The ads came from first-time candidate Jonathan Lockwood, who this spring unsuccessfully sought the Republican party’s nomination to challenge Bynum in the midterm election.
Lockwood posted the exaggerated ads featuring artificial intelligence generated images of Democratic politicians on his campaign Facebook page. Those ads are now at the heart of an investigation, first reported by OPB, into whether they violated a recent Oregon law requiring that use of certain AI be disclosed in campaign communications.
It’s one of the first tests of that law, which can trigger fines of up to $10,000.
Lockwood did not respond to email or phone queries Thursday about the case.
The law defines the “synthetic” images that must be disclosed as being a “realistic but false” image of an individual “that a reasonable person would believe is real.” Content that constitutes satire or parody is explicitly exempted from the disclosure rules.
In a written statement to election officials on May 30, Lockwood denied violating the law. The state’s notice to him of a potential violation “does not explain what content is alleged to constitute ‘synthetic media’ (or) what portion is claimed to be ‘realistic but false,’” he wrote.
Connor Radnovich, a spokesperson for the Elections Division, said the agency does not have a timeline for completing its investigation.
Mary Doyle, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for her party’s nomination in the 2nd Congressional District this year, filed the complaint on May 15, four days ahead of Oregon’s May primary. No records have been added to the investigation file since early June, Radnovich said.
According to The (Bend) Source, the Elections Division is also investigating a failed candidate for the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners over alleged use of AI. Brooke West stands accused of illegally using AI-altered images of herself on her campaign website. That case is also still in the investigation stage, Radnovich said.
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