By Ruth Brown, Idaho Reports
Fraudulent campaign calls about immigration policy targeting Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Winder were spread to constituents over the weekend, using what the Senate Majority Caucus called “deceptive and unethical tactics to mislead voters.”
“This call, crafted by an out-of-state group, was disseminated to constituents in Senator Winder’s district, spreading fabricated statements with the intent to manipulate voter perception ahead of the primary election,” according to a Monday news release. “The ease with which digital technology can be used to create and spread misinformation is deeply troubling and poses a threat to informed voter decision-making.”
Winder, R-Boise, told Idaho Reports on Tuesday the fake message he heard includes comments he made on the Senate floor during a debate regarding illegal immigration, but it also included remarks on an unrelated bill from a prior legislative session, as well as the word “amnesty,” at the end of the message.
Winder does not support immigration amnesty as a policy, he said Tuesday. He does not know who is responsible for the fabricated message, and the message did not identify a political action committee that sponsored it.
“Anytime you take on the Idaho Freedom Foundation and freedom caucuses, you know you’re going to get pushback,” Winder said. “The amount of out-of-state money (this year) is really disappointing.”
Winder has repeatedly been a vocal critic of the Idaho Freedom Foundation.
The Idaho Legislature passed a bill addressing the use of deep fakes by artificial intelligence in elections this year. That law is now in effect and states that if a candidate’s image, appearance, or speech is manipulated in an electioneering communication using AI, the candidate may seek injunctive relief as well as general or special damages.
So-called “deepfakes” are created when artificial intelligence is used to manipulate audio or video to sound like a real person’s voice.
Winder said he doesn’t know if the messages targeting him qualify under the deepfake law, because the content was not all AI-generated, but they are deceptive and misleading. He has not filed a formal complaint about the messages with the Secretary of State’s Office.
“As the Majority Caucus, we stand with Senator Winder and all public servants who have been victims of such disgraceful tactics,” according the statement sent out by the caucus. “We urge all Idahoans to remain vigilant, question the sources of the information they receive, and seek truth and accuracy in their political engagement. It is imperative that we work together—across all levels of government and with technology providers—to implement measures that prevent the proliferation of digital misinformation and protect our electoral processes. We pledge to uphold the highest standards of integrity and to foster a political environment where truth and honesty prevail.”
“It’s definitely gotten uglier (this year) and a whole lot of more out-of-state money,” Winder said when asked about how campaigns have changed. “They use the word ‘liberty,’ but with their definition of liberty it leads to oppression, because if you don’t agree with them, they just beat the crap out of you.”
Winder is running for his 9th term in the Senate to represent Legislative District 20. He is being challenged by Republican Josh Keyser in the May 21 primary election. The winner will face Democrat Andy Arriaga in November.
Ruth Brown | Producer
Ruth Brown grew up in South Dakota and her first job out of college was covering the South Dakota Legislature. She’s since moved on to Idaho lawmakers. Brown spent 10 years working in print journalism, including newspapers such as the Idaho Statesman and Idaho Press, where she’s covered everything from the correctional system to health care issues. She joined Idaho Reports in 2021 and looks forward to telling stories about how state policy can impact the lives of regular Idahoans.