Republicans emphasize cultural issues in the final stretch of the midterm campaign

Republicans in competitive U.S. House and Senate races are emphasizing transgender participation in women’s sports, border security and socialism before the midterm elections, according to a Wall Street Journal report carried by Hindustan Times on October 18. Their closing pitch portrays Democrats as too extreme to control Congress, while some Democratic candidates are answering those attacks directly.

The Hindustan Times report said Republicans are delivering the message through television advertisements and President Donald Trump’s rally speeches. It described an effort to redirect frustration over gas prices and broader economic conditions away from the party in power. Republicans are also trying to motivate partisan voters whom the report said polls suggest may otherwise stay home.

How Democratic candidates are responding

Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for governor in Texas, credited Trump for a decline in illegal border crossings during a television interview quoted by the report. “There is no question that crossings are way down, and there is no question it is because of President Trump,” she said. The report described Democrats taking positions on immigration and other contested issues that differ from those of some party progressives.

Why control of Congress shapes the message

The contest will determine control of the House and Senate. The Wall Street Journal report said some Republicans worry that Senate candidates including Ken Paxton in Texas and Roger Marshall in Kansas are drawing less support than their party’s gubernatorial candidates. That concern adds urgency to Republicans’ effort to turn out voters in races below the top of the ballot.

In a separate Associated Press interview during a campaign stop in Bangor, Maine, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he believes Republicans will retain their House majority. He cited campaign crowds, the quality of Republican candidates and his fundraising for House races. Johnson also portrayed Democrats as “communists,” a theme in his campaign rhetoric.

Johnson’s office had emphasized socialism and communism in a September statement about House Republicans’ election messaging. In the AP interview, Johnson described retaining the majority as central to pursuing Trump’s agenda. Democrats are preparing an agenda for the new Congress if they take control of the House, AP reported.