9 Anti-LGBTQ+ Republicans Who Lost in the Midterm Elections

The blue tsunami hit across the United States, and not only did voters support Democrats over Republicans to lead Congress, but advocacy groups have noted that it seems that the anti-LGBTQ+ and mostly anti-transgender messaging of the last couple of election cycles just doesn’t pan out for conservative candidates anymore.

Republican candidates and their supporters spent about $200 million this election cycle on ads targeting trans people, according to independent journalist Erin Reed.

In Texas, that number alone was $78 million, GLAAD reports. In Ohio, it was $26 million. Republicans lost the marquee races in both states.

“Voters have resoundingly delivered a historic victory for freedom, accountability, and democracy. In state after state, they voted for an America that looks like America, diverse in every way, including LGBTQ candidates and ballot measures,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement following the election. “The reality is undeniable: fearmongering about transgender people is a losing strategy. Election 2026 must go down in history as the last campaign to try it.”

Some Democrats also decided to pull out the transphobia leading up to Election Day — including Josh Turek of Iowa and Annie Andrews of South Carolina. However, many also voiced support for trans people, including U.S. Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed.

Here are nine of the most anti-LGBTQ+ GOP candidates who lost their races in the midterms.

• Ken Paxton
  • The Republican candidate for Senate from Texas, Paxton has served for years as the state’s attorney general. He built his career in office on attacking LGBTQ+ people. He ran anti-trans ads throughout his campaign. He sued the Obama administration over marriage equality benefits and federal policies around trans people’s access to bathrooms. He, along with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, launched efforts to investigate parents of trans kids for so-called child abuse. His office also sought data that could identify thousands of Texans who had changed their gender markers on state identification documents. While he ran for Senate, he said he would “defeat the radical transgender movement.” He lost to James Talarico by 12 percentage points.
• Greg Abbott
  • Abbott, a Republican who ran for a fourth term as Texas governor, signed Texas’ ban on most gender-affirming care for minors and ordered agencies to recognize only two genders. He ordered child protection services to investigate parents of trans kids, and signed into law legislation attacking trans youth. He lost to Gina Hinojosa, a Democrat.
• Mike Rogers
  • Rogers ran against Abdul El-Sayed to represent Michigan in the Senate. Rogers and his allies made racist and Islamophobic comments throughout the campaign against El-Sayed, who supports LGBTQ+ rights. In Congress, Rogers voted against marriage equality laws, the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” He associated with people who called trans people an “abomination.” He lost to El-Sayed.
• Rick Jackson
  • Republican gubernatorial candidate Jackson promised to ban “ideological indoctrination” in schools, and he ran an ad threatening jail for providers of gender-affirming care to minors. He was beaten by Keisha Lance Bottoms to become the first Black woman governor in the U.S.
• Vivek Ramaswamy
  • Ramaswamy, who also ran for president in 2023 before this year’s attempt to be Ohio’s next governor, called being transgender “a mental health disorder” and has called the trans community a “cult.” He trumpeted endorsements from the sponsor of Ohio’s gender-affirming care ban. Equality Ohio gave him an F on its 2026 candidate scorecard. Amy Acton defeated him this week, becoming Ohio’s first woman governor.
• Aaron Flint
  • The Montana Republican congressional candidate ran anti-trans ads in his campaign. However, Smokejumper Sam Forstag beat him. Forstag said the government has no place in banning gender-affirming care or restricting trans players in school sports.
• Dan Patrick
  • The Republican lieutenant gubernatorial candidate supported a Texas version of the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law and anti-trans bills. He lost to Democrat Vikki Goodwin, who voted against anti-trans laws as a state House representative. Goodwin is the first Democratic lieutenant governor in Texas in 27 years.
• Ashley Hinson
  • The Republican candidate for Senate from Iowa. Her campaign ran anti-trans ads that targeted Democrat Josh Turek. Turek has also made anti-trans remarks. Turek beat Hinson.
• Darline Graham
  • Graham sought to win a full term in the Senate after being appointed to fill in her late brother Lindsey Graham’s seat. A Republican, Graham ran several anti-trans ads. Backed by President Trump, who called Graham’s Democratic opponent “Annie ‘Tr*nnie’ Andrews,” she ran several anti-trans ads. Her debut ad declared “Men don’t belong in women’s sports,” and she accused Democrats of refusing to protect children “from the transgender agenda.” South Carolina voters supported Andrews in the end, making her the first woman to represent the state in the Senate as well as the first Democrat elected to the Senate from South Carolina since 1998.

An honorable mention goes to anti-LGBTQ+ U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, whose race in Colorado has not been called yet. At the time of this writing, she is down more than 3,000 votes.