GOP doubles down on anti-trans attack ads in Texas
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks during a bus tour campaign rally. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Republicans have spent $82 million in the last few months to slam Democratic lawmakers and candidates over support for transgender athletes and gender-affirming care for kids.
Why it matters: The Texas U.S. Senate race is an epicenter of the fight over trans rights.
- Gender-affirming care is backed as medically necessary by leading health groups like the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. That care rarely involves surgery for minors, even for older teens.
By the numbers: Republicans have spent an overwhelming majority of their $82 million in spending on Senate races nationwide.
- Since mid-July, they've splashed more than $77 million on ads about transgender issues in races in 10 states, including Texas, according to AdImpact data as of Oct. 24.
Zoom in: The Texas race is the second-costliest GOP anti-trans Senate campaign, with multiple groups supporting Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), spending $15.8 million on aggressive ads bashing support for transgender athletes competing in women's sports.
- Advocacy groups argue that GOP anti-trans messaging is not effective in influencing voters' decisions but could endanger trans people.
The other side: Democrats have spent nearly $9 million nationwide in an attempt to refute the GOP attacks or hit back at Republican opposition to broader LGBTQ rights.
- Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), who is running against Cruz, released an ad responding to attacks from Cruz, saying: "Let me be clear: I don't want boys playing girls' sports, or any of this ridiculous stuff Ted Cruz is saying."
Between the lines: Allred's response hinged on Cruz's "boys playing girls' sports" premise without addressing the issue of diminishing transgender rights head on.
- The Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus declined to endorse any candidate in the U.S. Senate race after caucus leaders were left disappointed with Allred's responses to their inquiries.
What they're saying: "Once you dive deep and go below the surface, that's where you start to see that there is certainly room for growth in terms of understanding of our community," caucus president Austin Davis Ruiz told Chron.
The bottom line: "This is Republicans going on offense on social issues in a way they haven't been able to do since Roe was overturned," one national GOP strategist told Axios.