HENRICO, Va. — The contest for Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor took an unconventional turn on Tuesday. Faced with the absence of his Democratic rival, the Republican candidate staged a debate against an artificial intelligence facsimile of her.

Democratic contender Ghazala Hashmi declined all invitations to debate with her adversary, John Reid. In response, Reid orchestrated a debate using AI, which was broadcast live on YouTube under the title “The Debate That Should Have Happened.”

According to Reid’s campaign, the debate was meticulously crafted, presenting a one-take video that directly addressed his opponent’s publicly known stances with well-documented sources.

During the event, a pre-recorded moderator posed questions. Reid responded in real-time, while Hashmi’s replies were delivered by a robotic voice mimicking her tone.

Reid’s campaign said the project was created in the spirit of fairness.

“Virginians deserve to see a side-by-side contrast, and since my opponent won’t show up, I had to force the issue myself,” Reid said in a press statement. 

However, the Democratic Party of Virginia said the Reid was more interested in “shoddy gimmicks and dirty tricks” and does not care about governing. 

Ava Pitruzzello, a spokesperson for the Hashmi campaign called the debate a “desperate move.”

“Maybe he should focus on voters instead of videos,” Pitruzzello said.

The Lieutenant Governor of Virginia serves as both a key executive officer and a legislative figure. The Lieutenant Governor serves as the president of the Virginia Senate and may only vote to break a tie, which could steer close legislative decisions. 

The Lieutenant Governor is also first in the line of succession to the governor. 

This is not the first time artificial intelligence has made an appearance in a Virginia debate. Last year, an AI bot dubbed “Don Bot” represented Congressman Don Beyers in a debate in Virginia’s 8th District.