mobanmarketNEW JERSEY — An image of Rep. Andy Kim endorsing the Republican candidate for his congressional seat is “100 percent fake,” his campaign told Patch.
Kim, a Democrat, is running for U.S. Senate. His seat in the House of Representatives (New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district) is up for grabs.
Dr. Rajesh Mohan is the Republican candidate for Kim’s current seat. On Thursday morning, his campaign’s official Facebook page shared an image of Kim endorsing Mohan.
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The image is fake, a spokesperson for Kim’s campaign told Patch. Kim said he’ll consider filing a complaint against Mohan to the Federal Elections Commission.
“It is absolutely wrong and reckless that the Republican candidate for Congress in my home district, Dr. Rajesh Mohan, shared a manipulated photo of me falsely indicating that I support him,” Kim told Patch through a spokesperson. “To be very clear, I will be supporting Assemblyman Herb Conaway this year, and will be personally voting for him on November 5th. And I will look to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against Dr. Mohan for knowingly promoting a manipulated image with false information.”
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Mohan’s campaign did not respond to Patch’s request for comment in time for initial publication.
The image shows Kim holding a piece of paper that features Mohan’s image and says “Vote for Rajesh Mohan for US Congress.” The words “THE BEST MAN FOR ANDY’S JOB” are superimposed onto the image.
The Pinelands Republican Club posted the fake picture of Kim on Oct. 23. Mohan’s campaign shared their post Thursday morning, days ahead of Tuesday’s General Election.
Mohan’s campaign shared the following message with the post: “Dr. Mohan For US Congress – People’s Congressman! The Best Candidate for ALL, across party lines! The momentum is peaking at the right time! Please VOTE.”
The phony image is still on both Facebook pages as of 2 p.m. Thursday.
“I call on the Pinelands Republican Club and Dr. Rajesh Mohan to immediately take down the photo and apologize to the people of our district for misleading them,” Kim said.
Fake images and media have been a growing concern during the 2024 election cycle, especially with generative AI making it easier to create fake photos, videos and robocalls — sometimes known as “deepfakes.”
Over the summer, former President Donald Trump posted a fake image of Vice President Kamala Harris addressing a communist rally. He has also shared phony images of celebrities, including Taylor Swift, endorsing him for president. Swift has endorsed Harris.
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There are no comprehensive federal laws regulating deepfakes, and bills aimed to protect elections from AI threats have stalled in Congress. (Here’s guidance from the Brennan Center for Justice on how to detect political deepfakes.)
New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District includes portions of Burlington, Mercer and Monmouth counties. Kim has represented the district in Congress since 2019. He is running for the Senate seat long held by disgraced Sen. Bob Menendez, who resigned in August following his 16-count conviction in a bribery case.
Mohan and Conaway are running for Kim’s House seat. Both are medical doctors.
Conaway, a Democrat, has been a state assemblyman since 1998. He has continued to work in the medical field throughout his political tenure, specializing in internal medicine.
Mohan, a cardiologist, has assumed various roles in medical administration throughout his career.
The candidate field also includes Steven Welzer (Green Party), Chris Russomanno (Libertarian Party), Justin Barbera (Join The Revolution Party) and Douglas Wynn (Why Not Wynn Party).
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