A gay Republican candidate in Virginia has drawn ridicule after staging a “debate” with an AI version of his opponent. with the Democrats claiming that the stunt was actually a victory for them.
John Reid, who is running for lieutenant governor, staged the debate with an AI version of his Democratic opponent, state senator Ghazala Hashmi.
Hashmi has previously denied Reid’s requests for a debate, with Reid’s campaign stating that they resorted to an AI debate due to this.
AI responses were generated from previous public statements made by Hashmi, while Reid appeared on the camera alone, answering prompts from a bot as he stood behind a plain podium.
@pinknews A gay Republican candidate in Virginia running for Lt. Governor, John Reid, has drawn ridicule after staging a “debate” with an AI version of his opponent. His Democratic opponent, state Sen. Ghazala F. Hashmi previously denied his requests for a debate. Hashmi’s AI responses were generated from previous public statements, and Reid appeared on camera alone, answering prompts from a bot while standing behind a plain podium. Reid claimed this was a “fair and balanced program,” done in one take with no rehearsal.Reid previously faced backlash after being linked to a Tumblr account that engaged with N*zi p0rn. Reid has denied being linked to this account, claiming it is a smear campaign. #JohnReid #Virginia #AI #Republicans #LGBTQIA ♬ News, news, seriousness, tension(1077866) – Lyrebirds music
Reid claimed the debate to be “fair and balanced,” done in one take with no rehearsal.
However, the Virginia Democrats claimed victory in the debate, writing on social media that they “congratulate” Hasmi for “winning John Reid’s fake debate”.
Tonight, we congratulate @SenatorHashmi for winning @JohnReid4VA’s fake debate, and thank John Reid for sharing Ghazala’s winning message. Here are some key quotes that John Reid shared from tonight’s debate: pic.twitter.com/ujsxIWKhOv
— Virginia Democrats (@vademocrats) October 22, 2025
“John Reid’s failed use of deepfakes is a desperate move straight out of Donald Trump’s playbook,” Hasmi’s campaign said in a statement.
“While we appreciate that AI Ghazala did share her vision like her commitment to public education and reproductive rights — it’s pretty clear, Reid only cares about shoddy gimmicks and not governing. Maybe he should focus on voters instead of videos. And hasn’t he gotten in enough trouble online already?”
Reid previously faced backlash after being accused of running a Tumblr account that hosted extreme NSFW racist fetish content. He has denied being linked to the account, claiming it’s part of a smear campaign.
The anti-trans Republican, who announced his candidacy for Virginia’s lieutenant governor in January, has vowed to “defend Virginia’s cultural heritage, promote civic education, and stand up for the values that make our Commonwealth strong.”
Reid is a vocal opponent of trans rights and has reportedly taken several anti-LGBTQ+ positions. In June, he refused to cast a tie-breaking vote to protect same-sex marriage in Virginia.
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