# Gay candidates win where impossible

> Openly gay candidates flip red seats in 2026 midterms despite anti-LGBTQ+ backlash.
- Title: Gay candidates win where impossible · Salon | Shortify
- Summary: Openly gay candidates flip red seats in 2026 midterms despite anti-LGBTQ+ backlash.
- Keywords: 2026 midterms, anti-trans legislation, chris gallant, chris pappas, j.d. ford, james talarico, lgbtq, new hampshire, indiana, texas, long island, new york
- Source: Salon — https://salon.com/2026/11/05/gay-candidates-won-where-it-was-supposed-to-be-impossible
- Author: Dimitrios Aletras Jr.
- Published: 2026-11-05T17:30:10+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: 2026 midterms, anti-trans legislation, chris gallant, chris pappas, j.d. ford, james talarico, lgbtq, new hampshire, indiana, texas, long island, new york
## Gay candidates win key races
Chris Pappas became first openly gay U.S. Senator in New Hampshire, and J.D. Ford won Indiana legislature seat.
## Texas Democrat wins despite anti-LGBTQ+ ads
James Talarico beat Ken Paxton to become first Democrat statewide winner in Texas in over thirty years.
## Long Island candidate nearly flips seat
Chris Gallant came within two points of flipping a Republican seat after private photos were leaked.
## Gallant refuses to accept shame
Gallant called his Republican opponent a brother in arms and refused to let the photo leak define him.
## Anti-LGBTQ+ backlash shifts
Voters approved measures to bar transgender girls from girls’ sports in Arizona and Nebraska.
## The same movement targets trans youth
The political movement that targeted gay men now focuses on transgender youth in four states.
## Historic shift in voter behavior
Voters no longer use gay identity as a campaign weapon to win elections.
## The movement adapts its target
The political movement that has learned it can no longer win by hating gay men has updated its target to trans youth.
## The fear moves to trans children
The fear of gay men has shifted to trans children in locker rooms.
## The split screen reality
The victory for gay candidates comes with a cost for trans youth.
## The question for the future
Will the movement get a new weapon or finally stop using it?
## Key takeaway

Gay candidates won key races in New Hampshire, Indiana, and Texas despite anti-LGBTQ+ campaigns, showing voters reject using gay identity as a campaign weapon.