ICYMI: KJZZ: Turning Point activists use fake posts to claim Democrats are backing Biggs for Arizona governor
In Case You Missed It, former LD9 House candidate Mary Ann Mendoza and Matt Whitmire, Conservative political activists with Turning Point Action, posted fake images on social media claiming Rep. Lorena Austin is supporting Andy Biggs.
In a new article by KJZZ, it’s reported that “Little, Mendoza, and Whitmire all work with Turning Point Action, the political arm of the influential Turning Point USA organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk. Mendoza is a manager for Turning Point Action’s Chase the Vote campaign, according to her X profile. Whitmire also regularly posts on social media about his work with Turning Point Action and affiliate organizations, including a failed effort to take over the Salt River Project board earlier this year.”
“The legislature just passed a law cracking down on deceptive political deepfakes, and now, right out of the gate, extremist Republicans are using that same tactic to lie to voters,” said ADLCC Co-Chair Rep. Oscar De Los Santos. “Misleading voters is nothing new for Republicans, but with less than two months until Election Day, shamelessly using AI in this way is a new low.”
KJZZ: Turning Point activists use fake posts to claim Democrats are backing Biggs for Arizona governor
Over the weekend, Mary Ann Mendoza and Matt Whitmire made posts on the social media platform X thanking Rep. Lorena Austin (D-Mesa) for supporting the Biggs campaign. Both posts include images of an individual who bears a resemblance to Austin posing with signs that say “Demócratas por Biggs” and “Democrats for Biggs.”
“I guess my first thought was a little shocked, but not surprised, because being deceptive and deceitful is what this group kind of does,” Rep. Lorena Austin said. “So when you don't have a winning message, you know, that reaches everyday Arizonans, I guess you reach for one of the most progressive legislators to help you with your message.”
Deepfake Detector, an AI tool designed to identify AI-generated images, video, and speech, also gave the photo posted by Whitmire a “100% AI score,” noting that “visual analysis is highly consistent with AI-generated imagery. The content bears no hallmarks of natural photographic origin.”
The photos could have legal ramifications for Mendoza and Whitmire. In 2024, Arizona lawmakers passed laws designed to crack down on the use of deepfakes to spread misinformation about candidates during election season. Republican election attorney Kory Langhofer said that the statute does apply to social media posts.
“Voters need to be wary that AI is a threat to reliable election information, particularly posted online,” Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said. “It's not a new kind of thing for folks to try to manipulate voters with that information, but AI can do it in ways that seem reliable.”
Mendoza and Turning Point Action did not respond to a request for comment about whether the organization knew about the posts or endorsed the tactics at play.
