(AP Photo/Jim Mone)

In a recent campaign video by Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate Dr. Scott Jensen, worldly stock footage abounds. The clips purport to be from all over the state; from Rochester in the south to Ortonville on the state’s western edge and Warroad, almost on the Canadian border.

“Minnesota is a marvel,” Jensen narrates. “Its natural beauty and rich history are like none other in the world.”

But the hockey-playing kids and sober-faced farmers aren’t Minnesotans, or even Americans. Much of Jensen’s stock footage comes from countries including Russia, Ukraine, Thailand and the U.K.

Jensen’s video opens with someone dipping their finger in a lake, ostensibly, at Itasca State Park. Only it’s a stock video uploaded to Shutterstock by the Spain-based account BublikHaus and downloadable by anyone for $65-$179.

LEFT: Screenshot at 0:05 of Jensen’s video; RIGHT: Shutterstock screenshot from the Spain-based “BublikHaus” account

 

The international film tour continues from there.

Jensen talks about “our farmers,” showing a combine harvesting a field designated as Willmar, MN. The clip came the Ukraine-based account “mpohodzhay,” who is affiliated with the ufly.pro website. The UFly production Facebook page, which is linked from the Shutterstock account, confirmed in messages the clip Jensen’s ad used was shot in 2019 near Lviv, Ukraine.

LEFT: Screenshot from Jensen’s video at 0:35; RIGHT: Shutterstock screenshot from a video taken near Lviv, Ukraine by “mpohodzhay”

 

As Jensen says there is “intrinsic greatness found in the hearts of Minnesotans,” an accompanying shot shows a nurse pushing a man in a wheelchair in “Rochester, MN.” That footage came from Monkey Business Image’s “UK Hospital 15” collection.

During a clip of a mother and son working on homework, Jensen discusses the “parents and teachers” he says are making sacrifices to improve the lives of Minnesota’s kids. But the clip comes from a Thai account. A mustachioed farmer appears to be the same man who consistently shows up on Russia-based account Petrunine world studio, Jensen’s ad claims it’s in Ortonville, Minn.

LEFT: Screenshot from Jensen’s video at 0:43; RIGHT: Shutterstock screenshot from a Thailand-based account

 

A clip of two young boys playing hockey, labeled in the campaign ad as being Warroad, came from the Pressmaster Shutterstock account, also based in Russia.

LEFT: Screenshot from Jensen’s video at 1:32; RIGHT: Shutterstock screenshot from the Russia-based “Pressmaster” account

 

“The most impressive part about Minnesota is its people,” Jensen says as a man cleans off a snowy car in, according to the ad, the Minneapolis suburb of Edina. The clip, while actually from a U.S. account, does not have a stated location on Shutterstock.

“It’s embarrassing that Scott Jensen can’t tell the difference between Rochester and Russia, but I’m not surprised,” Ken Martin, Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party Chairman, said in a statement.

He said Jensen – whose campaign spent $1500-$2000 promoting the ads on Facebook – was more interested in stroking his ego and attempting to get booked on Fox News than helping the people of his state.

“Jensen has spent over a year lying about the pandemic to try and get booked on Fox News, despite the harm COVID misinformation is causing across the state and across the country.”

Jensen’s campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment about whether they had verified the locations in any of their clips.