Nesbitt AI Campaign Video Depicting Political Violence Draws Sharp Criticism
A Republican candidate’s AI video showing Gov. Whitmer and other Democrats being attacked has sparked outrage days after Capitol threats.
LANSING, MICHIGAN — Senate Majority Leader Aric Nesbitt faced criticism Tuesday after posting an artificial intelligence-generated campaign video depicting prominent Democratic officials being attacked, including Governor Gretchen Whitmer appearing about to be run over by a tractor.
The video, shared on Nesbitt’s gubernatorial campaign Facebook page Tuesday morning, shows AI-generated versions of top Democrats under attack. The targets include Whitmer, Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The footage culminates with an image of Whitmer about to be struck by a figure driving a tractor, prompting immediate condemnation from Democratic Party officials.
Democratic Party Condemns Video
Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson Derrick Honeyman issued a sharp rebuke of the campaign content, calling it inappropriate given recent security concerns at the state level.
“This AI-generated video from Aric Nesbitt is disgusting and uses violent and inflammatory imagery—and it comes as a man was charged just days ago with threatening the State Capitol,” Honeyman said in a statement. “Political violence is unacceptable and it’s up to Nesbitt’s fellow Republicans to call him out.”
A spokesperson for Governor Whitmer’s office declined to comment independently, instead referring inquiries to the Michigan Democratic Party’s statement.
Nesbitt’s History of Violence Allegations
The Republican gubernatorial candidate has previously accused Democrats of promoting what he calls “violence and insanity” in their political rhetoric and activities.
Following protests at Lansing’s July 2025 No Kings demonstration, Nesbitt criticized demonstrators who displayed a sign reading “86/47.” He posted on Facebook that “Calling for the President to be assassinated from the steps of our Capitol is grotesque.”
Trump supporters have interpreted the “86/47” combination as threatening language, with “86” representing slang for removing something and “47” potentially referring to the president’s position as the 47th president.
Campaign Context
The video emerges as Nesbitt campaigns for the Republican gubernatorial nomination to challenge the eventual Democratic nominee in the general election. His use of AI technology to create political attack content represents a new frontier in campaign messaging that has raised questions about appropriate boundaries in political discourse.
The timing of the video’s release has intensified criticism, particularly given recent security incidents at the Michigan State Capitol that have heightened concerns about political violence and threats against elected officials.
Democratic leaders are calling on Republican Party officials to denounce the video and establish clearer standards for campaign content that depicts violence against political opponents, regardless of whether the imagery is artificially generated.
