Overview
- Reid posted a roughly 40–43 minute video on Oct. 22 presenting what his campaign billed as “the debate that should have happened” after no joint events materialized in the lieutenant governor race.
- An on-screen moderator posed questions while an AI-generated voice read Hashmi’s past statements with cited attributions, and Reid answered in real time; his campaign said AI was used only to mimic her voice.
- Hashmi’s campaign said her name, image and likeness were used without permission and condemned the production as misleading, while Virginia Democrats mocked it as a fake debate.
- The video addressed issues including the economy, education policy, transgender rights, abortion, gun laws, electric vehicle mandates and the Jay Jones text controversy.
- The episode unfolds in a close race, with recent polls showing a narrow margin, and follows earlier turbulence for Reid after Gov. Glenn Youngkin urged him to exit over a disputed social media account he denies owning.