Marsha Blackburn's AI Kendrick Lamar video draws mockery

A 12-second AI-generated video that Sen. Marsha Blackburn, the Tennessee Republican running for governor, posted to her campaign's X account on October 13 drew a wave of mockery and a rebuke from her Democratic opponent over its use of AI.

Blackburn captioned the post "Tomorrow. Ready to roll." The National Desk reported that the caption referred to early voting beginning in Tennessee the following day.

What the clip depicts

Billboard described the clip as showing Blackburn performing Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" in the style of Lamar's Super Bowl LIX halftime set, with Rep. Tim Burchett, Sen. Bill Hagerty, state Sen. Brent Taylor and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs behind her as backup dancers. Mediaite reported that Jacobs appears in the clip in the wrestling gear he wore as the masked Kane in WWE. Every outlet described the video as AI-generated, and nothing it shows is an event that took place.

Comments flooded Blackburn's replies. Billboard reported that users called the clip "painfully cringe" and "AI slop." Mediaite and The National Desk quoted former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger writing, "Boomer thinks AI makes her look cool," and the account for The Tennessee Holler writing, "This might be the most embarrassing post of all time." One X user quoted by Mediaite, Burt Macklin, wrote, "I'll say it again: we need an age limit for AI generation."

Blackburn's Democratic gubernatorial opponent, Jerri Green, replied to the post on X: "When I say please stop using AI to support our campaign, this is what I mean..."

Blackburn told WZTV on October 14 that she reposted the video rather than producing it. "You know, there is a county commissioner that made the video and put it up, and I think Congressman Burchett reposted it, we reposted it, and it's a funsie," she said, per The National Desk. "Everybody get out and vote!"

AllHipHop noted the backlash also revived Blackburn's 2007 congressional questioning of rap lyrics, where, per POLITICO's account at the time, she asked Master P, "How and when did society fail you that you would choose to write such filth?" The outlet reported that Blackburn has since sponsored the NO FAKES Act, a digital-replica bill her office said cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee in June. Kendrick Lamar has not commented on the clip, HuffPost reported.

The early coverage does not say whether the clip moved any votes. Billboard, citing RealClearPolitics, reported that Blackburn holds a strong lead over Green in the governor's race.

Both posts are still up: the clip on @VoteMarsha, and Green's reply on her own account.