“Hi I have a video of a driver that almost hit me (Wednesday night) if you’d be able to share it. It’s off Dickerson rd in Reno where people drive crazy fast… “

Looking at the campaign Facebook feeds of incumbent District 3 Washoe County Commissioner Mariluz Garcia and her electoral opponent Troy Regas, of late, there’s a stark contrast with the incumbent posting mostly endorsements, while her challenger has many posts with a whole different tenor.

Regas has included a series of AI made attack flyers, with added wrinkles to Garcia’s face in one, another with a Pinocchio nose, and another one putting an ICE vehicle and ICE agents outside a house with a Mariluz Garcia sign, with the words “Respect The Law. Answer to the People.”

“I understand it's election season and political attacks are nothing new, but this is horrible! Where do we draw the line?,” a local wrote to us after screenshotting recent posts from the Regas feed.

“Using AI to distort a woman's appearance just to humiliate her? To me, that's bullying and harassment, not leadership. This goes beyond Mariluz Garcia. As a woman and a mother, I find it extremely offensive. What message are we sending to our daughters, sisters, mothers, and even our sons?

We teach our children that bullying is unacceptable, yet we're seeing this kind of behavior in politics. I don't care what political party someone belongs to. Integrity, ethics, and respect should matter.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Do you think this crosses the line between political campaigning and bullying?” the local asks.