A Super PAC supporting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign released an AI‑generated advertisement that recreates the 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson “daisy” attack ad, targeting Senator James Talarico.

The original 1964 ad aired once and reached an estimated 100 million viewers, linking Barry Goldwater to nuclear threat and contributing to Johnson’s landslide victory. The new spot uses generative AI to show a three‑year‑old girl on an operating table in front of an AI depiction of Representative James Talarico, with a narrator claiming the trans industry endangers children through puberty blockers, hormones and surgeries.

The Talarico campaign said the ad is a deep fake and that Talarico does not support gender‑affirming surgery for minors. Paxton has previously described Talarico’s defense of transgender youth as “weird” and has promoted policies that restrict access to gender‑affirming care. The advertisement, which cost $10 million and aired during a family‑oriented television program, was produced by the American Principles Project, a group that has long advocated anti‑trans legislation. Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, said the campaign focuses on children first because “that’s where the consensus is,” and aims to eventually outlaw medical care for transgender people of all ages. Earlier attempts to adapt the daisy video, including a 1996 Bob Dole spot on teen drug use and a 2016 Hillary Clinton ad featuring the original actress, did not change voter outcomes. Schilling said the spot seeks to exploit parental fear of a medical establishment, but previous remix efforts suggest limited effectiveness.

The release comes amid a broader Republican push on transgender issues ahead of the 2026 Senate race, and it remains unclear whether the AI‑driven attack will influence voter perception.