Vikki Goodwin files police complaint on Dan Patrick ads - texastribune.org

Goodwin submitted a sworn affidavit Saturday to the Travis County Sheriff's Office, saying two ads from Patrick's campaign showed a version of her that never actually said or did the things depicted. Patrick's campaign had posted the videos on his X account. Goodwin says the person in the footage "appears to be me" but insists it was not actually her.

In the affidavit, Goodwin accuses Patrick of posting the video "with the intent to deceive Texans, injure a candidate, or influence the result of an election." That language points to a specific legal standard under Texas election law, one that turns on intent rather than just the existence of altered footage.

For Texas voters heading into a statewide race for lieutenant governor, this fight lands squarely in the middle of an increasingly common problem, campaigns using AI tools to shape how a rival looks and sounds on camera. Whether Travis County pursues the complaint could set an early marker for how Texas law treats AI-manipulated campaign ads going into next year's election cycle.

Patrick deleted the ads. He has not, according to the available reporting, addressed the police complaint itself.