Fort Bend County Judge Daniel Wong's campaign deleted a video from its social media pages after viewers identified the Black people in it as AI-generated, not real supporters.

The video, posted Oct. 23, showed Black figures crediting Wong with helping them find jobs, get food and pay utility bills. Social media users spotted distorted backgrounds, warped clothing and strikingly similar voices among the figures, according to the Houston Chronicle. The campaign pulled the video after commenters called it fake.

Wong's campaign denied producing the video. Bobby Eberle, Wong's communications director, told Houston Public Media the video was created by a Black Democrat who supports Wong. The campaign did not name the creator. Houston Public Media reported it could not independently verify who made the video.

Eberle acknowledged the video was AI-generated but said the creator claimed to have obtained consent from the people depicted, according to the Defender Network.

Wong's opponent, Fort Bend County Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy, called the video "reprehensible and disgusting," according to the Chronicle. McCoy alleged the AI figures were based on selfies from paid Wong campaign poll workers. The Wong campaign did not respond to the Chronicle's questions about whether the video used photos of campaign staff. Those allegations have not been independently verified.

McCoy said he is calling for a criminal investigation based on accusations of misrepresentation of identity, Houston Public Media reported.

In the original Facebook caption, Wong wrote: "Our county is worth fighting for. These brave men and women show it and know it."

The controversy lands inside the 30-day window covered by Texas Election Code Section 255.004, which prohibits creating and distributing deepfake videos with intent to injure a candidate or influence an election. Political attorney Andrew Cates told Houston Public Media the statute is difficult to enforce. No law enforcement agency has announced an investigation, and no legal determination has been made about whether the video violates the law.

Wong, a Republican and former Sugar Land City Council member, was appointed interim county judge in April after former Judge K.P. George was suspended following a felony money-laundering conviction, the Chronicle reported. McCoy, a Democrat, currently serves as Precinct 4 commissioner.

A Texas Southern University poll of 1,200 likely Fort Bend County voters, reported by ABC 13 on Oct. 8, showed McCoy leading 49% to 40%, with 11% undecided. Wong's campaign disputed those findings and said its internal polling shows a dead heat.

Fort Bend County voters choose between Wong and McCoy on Tuesday, Nov. 3.