Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch is calling on a U.S. Senate candidate to stop using certain AI-generated content in campaign ads.
Fitch on Friday notified Democratic Senate hopeful Scott Colom that two recent posts on his campaign’s social media platforms seemingly violate state laws against the use of “deepfakes” to influence elections. Deepfakes are images, audio clips, or videos digitally altered or synthesized using AI to make a real person appear to say or do something they never did.
Colom, a sitting district attorney in the Golden Triangle, has notably used a fake phone call with incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in campaign-related social media posts. In the attorney general’s complaint, Colom’s camp is accused of using AI deepfakes in an Oct. 1 social media post related to the campaign.
Fitch, without giving details about the contents of the posts, argued that Colom’s camp could have broken the law by posting the material within 90 days of the election and using a digitized image of Hyde-Smith without her consent. The attorney general urged Colom to remove the post to avoid her office taking legal action against him.
“Our office is authorized to investigate this matter, and you are hereby advised to preserve all related records, and that the destruction, alteration, or withholding of any record or document required to be produced by grand jury subpoena constitutes a serious violation of law, including but not limited to obstruction of justice,” the letter from Fitch to Colom reads.
According to Fitch, if the matter isn’t resolved, the violations by Colom’s camp could carry jail time and fines of up to $10,000. Colom’s camp confirmed that it would remove the posts.
Colom and Hyde-Smith have been exchanging blows as the Nov. 3 midterms near. Colom’s camp has labeled the incumbent a failed politician whose policies have hurt everyday Mississippians. The district attorney has also called into question Hyde-Smith’s refusal to debate him or hold public town halls.
Hyde-Smith has blasted Colom as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, with her team referring to him as a “transgender defender” and former President Joe Biden’s pick for U.S. Senate. She even created a fake website for Colom’s campaign to magnify these attacks. The incumbent’s message to voters is that sending Colom to Washington, D.C. would be detrimental to preserving Mississippi’s longstanding religious and conservative values.
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Colom is running on helping Mississippi’s farmers rebound from tariffs and high fuel prices, while aiding the state’s healthcare industry amid a crisis. He’s also looked to establish himself as more of a moderate candidate, claiming that he will protect Constitutional gun rights and secure the southern border.
A farmer herself, Hyde-Smith maintains that she is a champion for Mississippians in the agricultural sector, while also branding herself as a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump’s agenda. She has been vocal in defending law enforcement, backing plans to curb illegal immigration, and opposing abortion.
Both candidates have reeled in major endorsements. Hyde-Smith has been endorsed by Trump, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, and a litany of local Republican officials. Trump is making a stop in Mississippi on Oct. 26 to stump for Hyde-Smith.
On Colom’s side, key national Democratic figures have keyed in on this race in hopes of flipping the longstanding red seat blue. Colom has earned the backing of the likes of former president Barack Obama, along with former vice president and 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump, Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, and New Jersey Sen. Corey Booker. Harris made stops in Mississippi to rally voters for Colom.
While Colom and Hyde-Smith have dominated the money and ad space flowing into this race, independent Ty Pinkins has been on the campaign trail urging voters to break away from the two-party system. The last time Mississippi elected a non-Republican to the U.S. Senate was in 1982.
