Today, the American Principles Project (APP) released a report titled "Defeating They/Them," analyzing the role of cultural issues in the Republican Party's success during the 2024 election. The report highlights how the GOP's focus on these topics was crucial to their victory.

Key findings from the report reveal that Republicans concentrated their closing message for 2024 on what they termed Democrats' gender extremism. The Trump campaign allocated $37 million to advertisements addressing transgender issues, while Senate GOP campaigns and supporting groups spent an additional $77 million across ten states.

The effectiveness of these ads is underscored by a Cygnal/APP post-election poll, which indicated that voters exposed to Republican messaging on transgender issues were more inclined to support Trump over Harris by a margin of 26-38 points. Additionally, Blueprint 2024's analysis identified Trump's stance on transgender matters as the most persuasive reason for swing voters to oppose Harris.

In contrast, Democrats struggled to counter this narrative. Ads developed by the Harris campaign addressing transgender issues reportedly tested poorly and were not aired. Similar efforts by Senate Democrat candidates did not significantly impact voter sentiment.

The report suggests that cultural issues continue to offer Republicans strategic opportunities moving forward. APP President Terry Schilling commented on the findings: "Republicans’ campaigns in 2022 and 2024 were very similar. Both ran against an unpopular presidential administration and emphasized the Democrats’ poor track record on the economy, crime, and immigration. But while the 2022 results were widely seen as a disappointment, the GOP improved its fortunes in 2024 by making one major change: embracing the culture war."

Schilling further noted that under President Donald Trump's leadership, Republicans targeted what they saw as Democratic vulnerabilities regarding gender policies. He stated: "Led by President Donald Trump, Republicans last year hammered Democrats on one of their biggest vulnerabilities — their support of left-wing gender insanity. They made it a centerpiece of their closing message, spending hundreds of millions on transgender issue ads in the closing days of the race. And as our report shows, voters responded by electing GOP candidates up and down the ticket."

He concluded with advice for future Republican strategies: "This should provide a clear lesson moving forward that social conservatism is a political winner and that the best strategy for Republicans on cultural issues is to fight back, not call a truce. Following this formula will only serve to further bolster the GOP in 2026 and beyond."