If you live in a state with a competitive election this year, you’ve likely seen the repulsive ads from GOP candidates and super PACs that attack Democrats on the issue of transgender rights.
Republicans are spending tens of millions on absurd, bigoted, and lie-filled spots that seek to scare voters into believing that Democrats would force “sex-changes surgeries” on children. GOP operatives clearly hope the fearmongering will ignite their base and get them to the voting booth since polling shows that even Republican voters are angry about President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy, his war in Iran, and other matters.
But American Principles Project, a right-wing super PAC, admitted on Thursday that the deluge of anti-trans ads won’t be enough to save the party in November.
In a memo to Republican campaigns, the group warns GOP candidates that “Republicans face significant headwinds in the upcoming midterms,” and says that while Republican ads on culture war and diversity issues are “important,” they “may not be sufficient” to stave off defeat.
“To win in 2026, GOP candidates will need to both highlight Democrats’ cultural radicalism while also proposing a compelling economic alternative,” the memo states.
Of course, the reason why Republicans cannot come up with an economic message that appeals to voters is because voters have seen what Trump’s actions—and the Republican Party’s refusal to put them in check—have done to the economy.
Trump’s tariffs have decimated the farming industry, creating a trade war that has both made their equipment more expensive as well as caused countries to buy less of their harvests. And Trump’s disastrous decision to launch a war in Iran has spiked oil prices, sending diesel costs to hit new records and threatening to make inflation soar further.
In fact, Democratic ads are hammering Trump for his handling of the economy and slamming congressional Republicans for refusing to stand up to him to stop his destruction.
That message is proving to be more potent than the anti-trans garbage coming from the GOP.
In fact, as gas prices climb, Democrats now have their widest lead on the generic ballot since the midterm election cycle began. Democrats lead Republicans by 7.8 percentage points, according to election analyst Nate Silver’s polling average.
What’s more, Democrats are starting to fight back against the heinous Republican anti-trans ads, which could cause that yawning gap to widen even further.
In Ohio, Democratic Senate nominee Sherrod Brown just went up with an ad that blunts the anti-trans attacks he’s faced—without further marginalizing trans community.
“Here they go again, those same attacks against Sherrod Brown,” a man says in Brown’s spot, referring to the anti-transgender fearmongering. That clip is followed by a woman who says, “With everything going on, that’s what they’re talking about?”
The ad then goes on to say that incumbent Republican Sen. Jon Husted has not done anything to lower costs for Americans and has instead voted to kick Ohioans off their healthcare and let Big Tech build data centers that have raised energy costs for everyone else.
#OHSen: Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) is up on TV with this response spot on the trans issue --
Warren from Johnstown to camera:
"Here they go again, those same attacks against Sherrod Brown"
Mary from Granville:
"With everything going on, that's what they're talking about?"… pic.twitter.com/SdP8m6TcrL— Medium Buying (@MediumBuying) September 18, 2026
Brown’s ad is a solid roadmap for other Democrats, who are facing similarly grotesque Republican ads. It helps to blunt the millions Republicans are sinking into the anti-trans messaging.
Ultimately, Republicans are one-trick ponies who are hoping that bigotry and fearmongering can overcome the fact that Trump and their party have sent the U.S. economy on a downward spiral. And even their own operatives admit that they are failing.
