Republicans lean into anti-Asian messaging ahead of the midterms

Republican campaigns have leaned on anti-Asian caricature and unproven claims of Chinese election interference ahead of the midterms.

As we reported earlier this month, Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee was branded the “Empress of DEI” in a 15-second video that uses gong sounds and bamboo-style lettering to cast the Republican candidate as foreign. The ad, reportedly funded by a group out of state, accused Yee of leading a “shadow government” without naming her. Yee blamed opponent Tom Horne, who in turn denied involvement. Arizona Asian Chamber of Commerce president Ryan Winkle said the ad only “exhausts” voters.

A similar message surfaced in Tennessee, where Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s gubernatorial bid saw her crush innocent fortune cookies. In her 30-second ad, she vows to “stop communist China” and “hunt down communists.” However, the cookies, beckoning cat and soy sauce bottle featured all have Japanese roots, not Chinese. Amid the backlash, Blackburn’s campaign manager said in defense, “She’s going to crush China, just like she crushed those fortune cookies, and libs everyday.”

The right’s anti-Asian messaging escalated last Thursday as President Donald Trump pressed unproven claims of Chinese election interference in a prime-time address, citing what he calls the largest compromise of election data in history. But analysts say much of that data was old and disputed. Beijing’s foreign ministry also called the claims inaccurate, while Chinese American groups said the rhetoric could deepen hostility their communities already face.

Meanwhile, Democrats accused the president of using the claims to build support for his Save America Act, which would curb noncitizen voting that is already barred under federal law. Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), who chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), said cybersecurity cuts undercut Trump’s stated concern about interference. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) accused the president of exploiting China policy for electoral gain.

Anti-Asian rhetoric has been loud in recent weeks. At a June 25 hearing on Chinese Communist Party espionage, Khanna pressed witness Michael Lucci, who called denaturalizing citizens born in U.S. territories “worth considering.” Critics have labeled this ethnic targeting. Unfortunately, the issue goes beyond Capitol Hill as one in five U.S. adults believe Chinese Americans pose a threat to society, a survey by The Asian American Foundation shows.

All this, of course, is a familiar playbook. In 2024, former Republican Rep. Michelle Steel used similar tactics against then-Democratic challenger Derek Tran, circulating fliers picturing him with Mao Zedong and Communist Party imagery. Steel ultimately lost, while Asian American voter registration nonetheless grew 15% from 2020 to 2024.

Advocacy groups are urging turnout before November.