When the Republican candidate for Virginia lieutenant governor could not get his Democratic opponent to agree to a debate, he decided to turn to the next best thing — an AI version of her.
In a bizarre 40-minute scene, John Reid held a “debate” with the AI version of state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, answering questions as well as opening and closing statements.
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The moderator, who was also AI, hit the major issues in Virginia, including school choice, immigration, transgender issues, and the Jay Jones text scandal as Reid and a TV screen of Hashim stood behind the podiums.
Streaming on his campaign YouTube channel, Reid acknowledged the unusual situation.
“It’s pretty shocking that this artificial intelligence debate is the opportunity for most Virginians to hear anything about the woman who is seeking to be Lieutenant Governor on the Democrat ticket,” Reid said. “That is shameful. It should be disqualifying.”
Hashmi’s “responses” were largely gathered from previous interviews and her campaign website. For each response, a picture of the Democrat holding a microphone was accompanied by captions for her AI-generated voice. The end of each answer included an attribution to previous statements Hashmi had made, either from her campaign website, a local news station interview, or a newspaper.
When it came to the Jones texts, Reid’s campaign went in a bit of a different direction for the Democrat’s response.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t address the unearthed text messages that Senator Hashmi’s ticket mate, Jay Jones, wrote about former Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Todd Gilbert and his family,” the unnamed AI moderator stated. “Sen. Hashmi, what do you have to say about your ticket mate’s remarks?”
“Jay will need to take accountability for the pain that his words have caused,” AI Hashmi said. The response was attributed to Virginia Mercury.
“Should Jay Jones drop out of the attorney general’s race?” The AI moderator pressed.
After a moment of silence, the AI moderator responded: “Uh, I guess that’s Sen. Hashmi’s answer.”
A large focus of the debate surrounded transgender issues. While Hashimi’s ticket mate, Abigail Spanberger, who is running for governor, has avoided questions about allowing biological males in female bathrooms and on sports teams, AI Hashmi gave a pretty clear opinion on the issue.
“We need to look out for and uh protect the rights of our transgender children,” AI Hashmi said. “They have a right to be addressed with pronouns of their own choosing. Boys identifying as girls have the right to compete on the playing fields where they feel that they belong. Trans kids have the right to use the restrooms and changing rooms where they feel most comfortable. Last but not least, trans miners have the right to get the surgeries that they need so as to feel as though they’re in the right body. To oppose the trans rights of children is to deny them their personhood, deny them their identity.”
The answer was attributed to an interview with local ABC 7 station WJLA. Hashmi introduced Senate Bill 1098, which protects doctors who perform gender surgeries on children.
Reid, the first gay man to run for statewide office in Virginia, got his own chance to give his opinion on transgender issues.
“Look, I’m the most open-minded person probably who’s ever run for statewide office,” Reid started. “When it comes to young people, this is confusion. It is gender dysphoria. These young people deserve counseling that will help them feel comfortable in their own bodies.”
The Republican went on to call transgender ideology “a very damaging, almost insane political agenda.” Reid also said Hashmi’s stance on “mutilating the bodies of perfectly healthy young people” should be disqualifying.
Hashmi’s campaign responded to the AI debate, saying she did not agree to have her name, image, and likeness used, while Reid is celebrating all the buzz he is getting.
“I am glad to see the media take an interest in this historic event, and I remain disappointed that Ghazala Hashmi is either so cowardly, disrespectful, or entitled that she believes she is exempted from defending her positions to the voters of Virginia directly,” Reid said to the Washington Examiner.
“John Reid’s fake AI statements were designed to mislead Virginians — plain and simple,” Ava Pitruzzello, spokeswoman for the Ghazala for Virginia campaign, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “It’s a dark, desperate move from a candidate so hungry for attention that he’s resorting to lying to voters and manufacturing statements. And hasn’t he gotten in enough trouble online already?”
“I didn’t give them permission to use John’s image and likeness in her recent attack ad that she’s got millions of dollars behind,” Noah Jennings, campaign manager for John Reid’s campaign, told the Washington Examiner. “Welcome to the First Amendment. Sorry she missed that class in college.”
Noticeably missing from the debate was any mention of the fraught relationship Reid has with the rest of his Republican ticket. In April, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) asked Reid to step down over a social media account under Reid’s name posting lewd photos of men and racist comments. Reid denied the account was his and added he is “sickened” by the accusations. He claimed it was an attempt “to force the first openly gay candidate off of a Virginia statewide ticket,” calling it “shameful” and vowing not to bow out.
When asked by the Washington Examiner why it was not addressed during the debate, Jennings said there is no evidence around the Tumblr account.
“The uproar they tried to create around it is absolutely ridiculous,” Jennings said. “We’ve proven time and time again, and are very disappointed.”
While responses from AI Hashmi were attributed, the Washington Examiner did not verify all answers.
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Hashmi, who flipped a suburban Richmond seat in 2019 to become the first Muslim woman elected to the Virginia Senate, has not committed to any lieutenant governor debates this cycle.
Reid, a conservative radio host on Richmond’s WRVA, secured the GOP nomination earlier this year after Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity withdrew for health reasons. A longtime fixture in Virginia media, Reid has sought to present himself as a straight-talking conservative willing to challenge leaders of both political parties.
