# AI disinformation in US midterm elections > Developing situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/ai-disinformation-in-us-midterm-elections > Updated: 2026-11-03T18:05:35.000Z. Sources: 22. Developments: 3. As the United States midterm elections approach, researchers have identified a surge in artificial intelligence-generated disinformation, a phenomenon termed ‘slopaganda’. Data from the Wesleyan Media Project indicates that spending on AI-generated political advertisements has exceeded $137 million, with approximately 80% of these ads funded by Republicans. Furthermore, roughly 70% of the identified AI content lacked clear labels identifying it as synthetic. The disinformation has specifically targeted Democratic Senate candidates. In Ohio, manipulated newscasts have been used against Sherrod Brown, involving a former intern who stated that allegations attributed to her were “completely made up”. In Texas, candidate James Talarico has been targeted by deepfake videos framed as confessions from former students. Recent reports link these social media videos, believed to be produced with artificial intelligence, to Russia. These videos reportedly misuse the names and photographs of real individuals to spread disinformation. In Ohio, clips targeting Sherrod Brown appear to depict newscasts using images of former staff members, including Haya Akbik, who stated that the claims attributed to her are “completely false and damaging to her reputation”. In Texas, a spokesperson for Talarico characterized the deepfake videos as “slander involving AI deepfakes and foreign bots”. While some social media platforms, such as X, have reportedly taken down initial posts, copies of these videos continue to circulate. Experts suggest these tactics align with a known playbook used by foreign adversaries to influence voters and undermine political processes through fabricated information. ## Claims - Social media videos suspected of being produced with AI are linked to Russia. (reported by 4 sources) - The videos misuse the names and photographs of real people to spread disinformation. (reported by 4 sources) - Sherrod Brown is a Democratic Senate candidate in Ohio. (reported by 4 sources) - Haya Akbik is a former intern for Sherrod Brown. (reported by 4 sources) - James Talarico is a Democratic Senate candidate in Texas. (reported by 4 sources) - X removed initial posts and suspended users for violating platform rules. (reported by 4 sources) - A TikTok creator reported an attempted scam using AI voice cloning to impersonate a relative. (reported by 2 sources) - Google SynthID detected AI watermarks in an audio file involving Manfred Reyes Villa and Fernando Cerimedo. (reported by 1 source) ## Timeline ### 2026-11-03: Russia-linked AI disinformation targets US Senate candidates AI-generated disinformation videos, allegedly linked to Russia, are using real people's identities to target Democratic Senate candidates Sherrod Brown in Ohio and James Talarico in Texas. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/russia-linked-ai-disinformation-targets-us-senate-candidates ### 2026-10-28: AI-generated disinformation targets US Senate candidates AI-linked disinformation videos are targeting US Democratic Senate candidates Sherrod Brown and James Talarico by misusing real people's identities to spread false claims. 7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/russian-linked-ai-disinformation-targets-us-senate-candidates ### 2026-10-25: United States elections face surge in AI-generated disinformation AI-generated disinformation, termed ‘slopaganda’, is flooding US midterm campaigns, with over $137 million spent on 220+ AI ads, predominantly by Republican-aligned groups. 12 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/brazil-discusses-technological-sovereignty-and-ai-development --- Cite as: AI disinformation in US midterm elections. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/ai-disinformation-in-us-midterm-elections