Russian covert group injects claim into Texas Senate race
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Researchers say Russian group Storm-1516 spread a fabricated misconduct claim about Texas Senate candidate James Talarico.
The video drew 850,000 views in 24 hours, signaling election influence tactics.
Background
James Talarico is the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Texas. Storm-1516 is a covert Russian group that researchers say produced and spread the claim; in 2024 it pushed a similarly unfounded accusation against Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, then the Democratic vice-presidential nominee. The operation follows a flurry of Russian posts on social media in recent weeks and is the latest sign, per the Times, that Moscow is again targeting an American election with online influence campaigns. Most Russian content so far, spread by bot networks worldwide, has targeted Democratic candidates, especially in closely contested Senate races that could decide control of Congress.
How it unfolded
- 2024Storm-1516 pushed a similarly unfounded accusation against Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee.
- Oct 20, 2026The claim about Talarico first appeared in a video posted on X by an account created just a month earlier.
- Oct 20, 2026Twelve hours later, three verified accounts with large followings reposted the video; analysts told the Times those accounts have amplified Storm-1516 before.
- Oct 22, 2026The New York Times reported the covert Russian operation targeted Talarico with a fabricated misconduct claim; the video was viewed more than 850,000 times in its first 24 hours.
- Oct 22, 2026Graphika attributed a deepfake video falsely claiming Talarico committed sexual assault to Storm-1516, CHOSUNBIZ reported.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Rep. Jim Himes, top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called Russian efforts so far this campaign "same old, same old," saying Russia is "throwing everything out there to generate a sense of chaos and anarchy."
- Official
- Himes said Russia was focused "in a bipartisan way" on harming American politicians who had been supportive of Ukraine.
- Analysts
- Researchers who track Russian disinformation and cyber threat analysts attribute the claim to Storm-1516 and say the large accounts that reposted it have carried its messages before.
- Analysts
- A U.S. official familiar with classified intelligence assessments said Russia has ramped up those efforts in recent weeks, while the assessments do not specify that Russia seeks to harm one party more than the other.
Still unverified
The misconduct claim against Talarico is described by researchers and outlets as fabricated, baseless and a deepfake; intelligence officials spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity.