China going after down-ballot races: report reveals which lawmakers are in their crosshairs

U.S. adversaries are ramping up their election-interference efforts, and China is going after anti-CCP down-ballot Republicans, according to a new report by Microsoft. 

Russia, meanwhile, is continuing to smear Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign with fake videos, and Iranian actors have been eyeing up election-related websites and mainstream media outlets.

Some of the misinformation campaigns pick up little traction, while others are amplified by thousands of unwitting Americans. 

"With a particular focus on the 48 hours before and after Election Day, voters, government institutions, candidates, and parties must remain vigilant against deceptive and suspicious activity online," Microsoft said in its election report. 

Iran, last week, built a fake online persona known as "Bushnell's Men" calling on American voters to sit out the election due to both candidates' support of Israel's military operations, the report found. 

Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn is running for re-election with a safe double-digit lead over her Democratic opponent. And yet China has deployed influence actors to go after her online due to her efforts to ban TikTok and combat the CCP. 

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In addition to Blackburn, China has taken a particular interest in three Republicans: Reps. Michael McCaul, Texas, Barry Moore, Ala., and Marco Rubio, Fla. 

"This is nothing new. I've been informed before about China trying to carry out a malign influence campaign against me," Blackburn told Fox News Digital. 

"China gets upset with me because I believe that you've got China trying to spy on our citizens," she went on. "You have them pushing danger and harm toward our children. They do not keep their trade agreements when it comes to agricultural products and manufactured goods. And I speak out about this. I felt like the Biden administration has treated China like they're a friend or a business partner." 

The report found that in late September, Chinese actor Taizi Flood launched an online campaign criticizing Blackburn and promoting her opponent, state Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Tenn. 

One Flood post claimed that Blackburn "took $700,000 from opioid companies," referring to her campaign donations from pharmaceutical companies. 

The CCP is also going after McCaul by accusing him of "abusing power for personal gain." CCP-linked online posts accused McCaul of insider trading and pushing controversial bills. McCaul was sanctioned by China in 2023 after a visit to Taiwan. 

Flood-linked accounts also went after Moore, criticizing him for his support for Israel, with antisemitic language, according to the report. 

Unlike the Blackburn posts, Flood’s attacks on Moore picked up steam online and were further amplified by other Flood assets. 

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Flood accounts attacked Rubio, who is not up for re-election, by accusing him of corruption. Microsoft has tracked influence operations surrounding Rubio since 2022.

Russia, China and Iran have all denied claims that they meddle in U.S. political affairs.

Blackburn, who has been pushing for passage of her kids' online safety bill and has long called for the banning of TikTok, called the popular video-sharing platform a "spy mechanism." 

"What they're doing is building a database for every one of our children who are on — and adults, too — that platform, and they are using this to be able to track you, to monitor you, to control what you see, what you say, what you hear, what you think and ultimately how you vote." 

If Republicans take power in the November elections, Blackburn said she would push for them to ban all Confucius Institutes, or higher education centers run by CCP-affiliated scholars, hold China "accountable for their role in pushing fentanyl on our people" and recognize Taiwan's independence from China. 

The U.S. does not formally support or recognize Taiwan's independence, though it arms the tiny island democracy against an encroaching Chinese military presence.