Republicans Are Making Trans People Their Closing Argument Again
With less than a month until the midterm elections, Republicans are reaching for a familiar weapon.
Trans people.
Not the cost of living. Not healthcare. Not the problems keeping families up at night.
Republicans and the political groups supporting them are flooding competitive races with attacks about transgender athletes, transgender kids and gender-affirming care, turning an incredibly small and vulnerable group of Americans into a campaign boogeyman.
And this isn't happening in one isolated race.
According to Punchbowl News, Republican candidates and groups have run at least 82 broadcast television ads in House and Senate races mentioning transgender issues during the 2026 cycle.
The attacks have appeared in races across Ohio, Texas, Iowa, Georgia, Florida, Kansas and elsewhere. Elon Musk's America PAC has also jumped into the strategy, targeting Democratic Senate candidates with ads centered on transgender issues.
This is a national strategy.