Cooke Campaign Issues Cease-and-Desist Letter to Van Orden Over Alleged AI Deepfakes

Green Bay Appleton, WI, October 1, 2026 —

The campaign for Democratic congressional candidate Rebecca Cooke has formally requested U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden cease and desist from alleged misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) in their race for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District.

In a cease-and-desist letter, Cooke’s campaign has accused Van Orden, a Republican incumbent, of employing AI-generated deepfake videos. These videos reportedly spread false statements attributed to Cooke.

The specific details of the alleged false statements and the content of the deepfake videos were not provided in the summary. It is also not specified when these videos were disseminated or what specific actions the campaign is demanding Van Orden take, other than to cease and desist.

The use of AI-generated content, particularly deepfakes, has become a growing concern in political campaigns. These technologies can create realistic but fabricated audio and video, raising questions about their impact on voter perception and the integrity of elections.

The summary does not include any information regarding a response from U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden or his campaign to the cease-and-desist letter, nor does it detail any potential next steps or legal actions that may follow.

Rebecca Cooke is running as the Democratic candidate, while Derrick Van Orden is the Republican incumbent. Their contest is for the representation of Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District.

Further information regarding the nature of the alleged deepfakes and the campaign’s response is pending.

Story summarized from the original created by Sarah Lehr on www.wpr.org, see more information here.