Republicans Spend $183 Million on Transgender Ads in Midterms, Airing 217,000 Spots

Republicans have spent an estimated $183 million on television ads focused on transgender-related attacks against Democrats in the final phase of this year's US midterm elections.

The investment through 25 October produced about 217,000 TV spots nationwide, according to tallies provided to The Associated Press by data firm AdImpact.

The spending exceeds what Republicans spent on similar ads in 2024, a presidential election year, at the same point before Election Day, when they had spent $151 million. Democrats have spent roughly $11 million on transgender-related ads in the same period, largely to defend themselves from the attacks.

The spending campaign matched messaging from other Republicans on the campaign trail, led by President Donald Trump, who has played down surging gasoline prices and other rising costs but highlighted what he described as an urgent threat to America's children from Democratic policies.

Barely five minutes into his speech during Monday night's rally in Corinth, Mississippi, Trump said Democrats “promote the transgender mutilization of your children.” During his Sunday rally in Florida, Trump said “men in women's sports” four times and gender “mutilization” another four times.

Texas' high-stakes Senate contest alone has consumed the largest share of the spending, drawing an estimated $58 million for more than 50,000 airings, according to AdImpact. Republicans are also investing heavily in related attacks against Democrats in Ohio, Kansas, South Carolina, Iowa and Mississippi.

Texas PAC, the Republican super PAC largely funded by Elon Musk and supporting Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, has at least three separate TV ads attacking Democrat James Talarico on trans issues. One of them has aired nearly 17,000 times at a cost exceeding $23 million, with the narrator saying, “If you care about your children, do not vote for James Talarico.” Talarico has publicly stated that he opposes gender-reassignment surgery for minors.

In Ohio, Republican groups led by the Senate Leadership Fund PAC have spent nearly $26 million on trans-themed ads against Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown. Brown's campaign said the ads were a “total lie” and a distraction from economic issues. The independent organisation PolitiFact rated one of the fund's ads false.

Only about 1 in 10 registered voters say transgender issues are “one of the most important issues” in the election, according to an AP-NORC poll from October. That falls well below the roughly 8 in 10 who mentioned the economy or the cost of living, and also falls short of healthcare and the war with Iran.

Republican pollster Chris Wilson said Republicans clearly believe these issues expose a cultural disconnect between Democratic candidates and a significant portion of the electorate. It is not necessarily that transgender policy is a top voting priority, he said; voters can use a candidate's position on it as a proxy for their broader values and judgment. He added that whether the ads are still persuading anyone or simply reinforcing attitudes voters already hold will be known on Election Day.

In South Carolina, a deep-red state that has emerged as an unlikely Senate battleground, Republicans have spent more than $5 million on transgender-themed ads. In the Kansas Senate race, Republican transgender ads have aired 7,000 times at a cost of nearly $7 million.