Half a billion dollars in attack ads deployed by Republicans in Texas this election season are having unintended consequences. According to conservative voters in the state, they’re teaching their children that trans people exist.
“My kids didn’t even know what transgender meant until these ads started airing. Now they’re hearing about it constantly,” a Reddit user in the r/Conservative forum wrote this week, as reported by Erin in the Morning.
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“Constantly talking about the things we oppose is actually giving them more attention than they would otherwise receive.”
That “constant” talk on the airwaves is real. Ad spending in Texas for the Senate race alone hit $442 million by early October, according to AdImpact. Elon Musk pledged over $150 million to Texas Pac to bolster embattled Republican nominee Ken Paxton. Democrat James Talarico, who leads in the polls, could become the first Democrat in 30 years to serve in the Senate from Texas.
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The state rep and seminarian is the target of the majority of ads invoking “transgenderism” as a threat to Texans.
“Every mom in Texas should be worried about James Talarico,” one recent TV spot claims. “James Talarico supports parents charged with child abuse if they do not support transitioning their children. Let that sink in for a minute: putting parents in jail if they do not support surgically transitioning their children. If you care about your children, do not vote for James Talarico.”
NEW: The Trump-aligned org Citizens for Sanity is dropping a six-figure ad buy in the Texas Senate race.
The ad is a 15 second clip of AI-generated James Talarico singing a “trans kids” rendition of “Favorite Things.”
Obtained first by @DailyCaller: https://t.co/JNY8vxYueG
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) June 9, 2026
For parents watching ad-supported TV with their kids, 4-6 similar trans-focused spots can fill breaks as the midterms approach. The messaging and exposure are reaching past the state’s borders, too.
“I get those ads and I don’t even live in Texas,” one Reddit user shared.
Conservative parents have another reason to question GOP tactics in the race. For weeks, Republican voters in Texas have been getting unsolicited text messages and mailers linking to a trans organization for support, with the implication that the recipients’ own children are trans or nonbinary.
The dirty tricks and all-trans-all-the-time strategy could backfire. Rather than motivate angry voters to the polls, it could move them to tune out and stay home.
It isn’t even paying off in polling, according to one Texas lawmaker.
“It’s just not resonating,” said Texas GOP state Rep. Dade Phelan, a former speaker of the Texas House. “Nothing’s moved the needle here in Texas in a month in the Senate race.”
“Let’s be honest” he added. “The 8 to 10% of voters in the middle who are going to decide this election, when they hear stuff about boys in girls’ sports, they don’t even know what you’re talking about. This never happened in their communities.”
That concerned Reddit user agreed.
“I understand the angle they’re going for, but dang,” they said. “We’re practically talking the very things we don’t want into existence.”
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