Peggy Flanagan is blasting a pro–Angie Craig super PAC for an attack ad she says leans on an AI "deepfake" of her image, calling the spot "disgusting" and accusing it of misleading Minnesota voters. The ad, which Flanagan says shows a doctored photo of her with a hand in front of a stack of cash, has already kicked up political and legal dust as the DFL primary closes in and a niche fight over synthetic media spills into a very real Senate brawl.
What the ad shows and who produced it
The ad comes from North Star Dawn, a super PAC backing U.S. Rep. Angie Craig. At the center of the spot is an altered image placing Flanagan next to a pile of money while she appears to gesture toward it. A spokesperson for North Star Dawn dismissed Flanagan's charge as "baseless" and said the group will follow "every federal and state law" as it airs the ad. The spot and the PAC's media buy mark a jump in outside spending on the Senate race, according to WCCO.
Flanagan pushes back
Flanagan fired back on social media, accusing the super PAC of using an AI generated version of her image and warning voters not to fall for it. "They can't win with the truth, so they're resorting to lies," she wrote, casting the ad as a deceptive hit. Her post and her campaign's comments were detailed by CBS Minnesota.
Minnesota's deepfake law and the legal line
Minnesota law makes it a crime to knowingly distribute a deepfake intended to injure a candidate or sway an election during certain pre-election windows, including within 90 days of a party nominating convention or after absentee voting begins. The statute defines a deepfake as media so realistic that a reasonable person would think it shows speech or conduct the subject did not actually engage in. Courts have already been asked to test the limits of that law in recent cases, according to MPR News.
Timing and campaign dynamics
Timing is not a minor detail here. Local reporting notes the DFL primary is roughly 68 days away, with the general election still months out, which puts this ad squarely inside a tense pre-election window. Outside groups are already pouring money into the contest, and a new poll released by the PAC has tightened the race. Those timelines and spending moves are laid out in reporting by KFGO.
Analysts weigh in
Political analysts say this dustup shows how blurry the line can be between old-fashioned photo manipulation and a true AI deepfake. "Caricatures and manipulated images have been in political ads for decades," WCCO analyst Blois Olson noted, adding that it will be up to courts and regulators to spell out where that line sits as the tech goes mainstream. North Star Dawn's spokesperson has said the group will keep running the ad while complying with the law, according to WCCO.
What to watch next
Experts caution that as synthetic media gets more convincing, enforcement will likely turn on whether prosecutors can prove intent and whether a court decides a piece of content actually qualifies as a "deepfake" under Minnesota's definition. Dr. Manjeet Rege of the University of St. Thomas says even specialists can be fooled and suggests viewers look for clues such as odd hairlines or glitches in the background when judging an image or video, according to CBS Minnesota. As the primary approaches, expect campaigns, outside groups, and possibly a few lawyers to keep stress-testing the boundaries of that statute.
