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A digital voter registration station represents election security and voting procedures in the United States, shown in an illustrative image.
US Lawmakers Say Russia Is Targeting Democrats With Election Misinformation
WASHINGTON — October 21, 2026
Senior Democratic lawmakers on congressional intelligence committees said they were briefed on what they described as a Russian misinformation campaign targeting Democrats ahead of the November midterm elections.
Senator Mark Warner of Virginia and Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut said the intelligence briefing was classified, limiting the details they could share publicly. However, both lawmakers said the activity resembled Russian online influence campaigns that US intelligence officials had tracked during the 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections.
Warner said Democrats were being targeted in ways similar to previous election cycles. He pointed to media reports about AI-generated fake advertisements aimed at James Talarico, a Democrat running for the Senate in Texas, and Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia, who is seeking re-election.
The White House and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Russian embassy also did not immediately respond. Moscow has previously denied interfering in US elections.
Himes said he could not disclose specific details from the briefing because the information was classified. He described Russia's approach as a broad effort to spread confusion and undermine public confidence, including by encouraging distrust of voting machines.
He also raised concerns about possible efforts by China to influence voters, saying there was no reason to believe Beijing had stopped conducting highly targeted influence operations of the kind seen in previous years. The Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Beijing has previously denied interfering in US elections.
The lawmakers also warned that foreign influence operations could complicate public discussion of the election results. They expressed concern that Trump might seek to challenge the outcome by alleging foreign hacking of voting systems.
Himes stressed, however, that there was no evidence that a foreign country could access US election systems and alter the results. He distinguished attempts to influence voters through misleading online content from direct interference with election infrastructure.
The briefing comes as Democrats seek to regain control of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections. Recent Reuters/Ipsos polling has shown Democrats ahead of Republicans in the national congressional ballot, although national polling does not determine the outcome of individual races.
