Drag queen spots herself in GOP attack ad. It was all AI

A group of North Carolina drag queens issued cease-and-desist orders after a political ad for a Republican congressional candidate had AI versions of them dancing with the Democratic opponent. Drag queen Nova Jynah recognized her likeness in the ad, which depicted her barn dancing with Jamie Ager, the Democratic congressional candidate looking to represent the Asheville area. “I have that off-shoulder purple dress sitting in my closet right now. I still own that wig,” Jynah told The Washington Post. “That’s my makeup. That’s my nose!” Jynah and several other Asheville-based drag performers shown in the ad issued cease-and-desist orders to the National Republican Congressional Committee, which paid for the ad. GOP congressional candidate Jennifer Balkcom also approved of the ad, according to the report. Drag queen Nova Jynah’s likeness was depicted in an AI-generated political attack ad, according to a report (NRCC)The National Republican Congressional Committee said it stands by the AI-generated ad. The ad appears to use a photo that Jynah shared online months ago to generate her likeness. It also features Ager’s own barn that he used in his campaign ad, but decked out in pride flags. The ad also shows a child gawking at the performers as ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” plays. “Jamie Ager talks like you and me on TV, but he’s dancin’ with they/them,” the ad's narrator says. In a statement, the Ager campaign said Balkcom was “attacking Jamie with 100% fake, AI-generated ads.” “She can’t win on the truth, so she is using AI to lie,” the statement said. The ad also shows Ager dancing with Sister Domina Trix, Sister Helen Bedd and Divine Holeburn, in an event that the ad claims was real, Them reported. A voiceover in the ad claims that Ager hosted a barn dance featuring drag queens. However, local reports indicate that while Ager’s farm hosted a dance in 2019 that was advertised as featuring drag queens, the campaign said the drag queens did not show up for the event. Jynah also told WYFF that she “never met that man in my life” and had never been to his barn before. Divine Holeburn, who was also featured in the ad, also said she had never met Ager. “I have no affiliation with him at all. I didn’t even know he had a barn until this; this barn dance event was not real,” she said. Balkcom is currently a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, whereas Ager is a first-time political candidate. Both are running for North Carolina’s 11th district for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.