The 19th's Brooke Migdon and Orion Rummler report that Republicans' heavy investment in anti-trans messaging failed to pay off in the 2026 midterms, in which over 40 House districts flipped Democratic, Democrats took both chambers of Congress and most governorships, and both Sarah McBride and Ron DeSantis blamed the party's fixation on trans people for its losses. The Human Rights Campaign says Republicans poured $400 million into anti-trans ads, and while voters approved trans-restricting ballot measures in several states, analysts and advocates say the attacks did not move voters amid concerns over affordability and other issues.