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| A Republican group is running a political ad featuring anti-trans activist Soren Aldaco. The ad accuses U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown of supporting trans surgery for minors and implies that Aldaco's transition was somehow Brown's fault. As seen by the graphic courtesy of a news report from ABC affiliate WEWS, the ad is highly deceptive on both accusations. |
In the 2024 election, scapegoating trans people, particularly trans children, was deemed a winning issue for the Republican party.
Two years later people are slowly finding out that responding positively to spooky Republican ads about trans athletes, trans prisoners, or "trans surgeries for minors" didn't do anything to improve their healthcare, bring down prices, bring back jobs, or keep us out of war. This means conjuring up images of transgender boogeymen for the 2026 midterms doesn't seem to be having the same impact it did in 2024.
But Republicans continue go about this course of action and in Ohio, they just got publicly called out for lying
From them:
A reelection advertisement created by a Republican super PAC in support of Ohio Senator Jon Husted misleads viewers into thinking that a young person’s gender transition was somehow Democratic opponent Sherrod Brown’s fault due to failed state-level policies. There’s only one problem: the person in the ad is not from Ohio and was a legal adult when she transitioned.
On September 24, the Senate Leadership Fund, which bills itself as the “only outside organization solely dedicated to protecting and expanding the Republican Senate Majority,” debuted the ad, “Sherrod Brown Does Whatever Extremists Demand,” aimed at linking the Ohio Democrat with gender-affirming care for minors, an ongoing wedge issue in the upcoming midterm elections.
In the ad, 23-year-old Texan Soren Aldaco states that after a “20-minute meeting,” doctors told her parents that she was transgender, which led to “hormone shots” and a “botched double mastectomy,” which caused her “years of trauma.” She claims in the video that the surgery happened when she was a child.
After telling her story, Aldaco then links her personal situation to Brown’s alleged pro-trans policies, saying that Brown “supports sex change surgery for minors” and “admitted he would never oppose it.” Aldaco closes the ad by saying that Brown does “whatever extremists demand,” including “anything to hold onto power.”
According to them, ABC affiliate WEWS and Politifact revealed that the ad is a highly deceptive. WEWS ran a news segment about it (see graphic above.) Politifact posted a segment about it.
From Politifact:
When contacted by PolitiFact about the 2026 ad, Senate Leadership Fund spokesperson Chris Gustafson cited Brown’s July 19, 2023, interview with WSYX-TV in Columbus, Ohio. That was also the sole source cited in the group’s 2024 ad, and in its other 2026 Ohio ads.
The segment discussed legislation backed by then-Sen. JD Vance, the Protect Children’s Innocence Act, which Brown opposed. The measure would have made it a felony for doctors to provide surgery or prescribe puberty blockers to anyone younger than 18.
In the interview, Brown said, “A child’s health care decisions are between them, their parents, their families, their doctors — not politicians. I will never agree with anybody that wants to bring politics into the family situation with health care, period.’”
Gustafson said this means Brown “does not support any limitations on transgender or gender-affirming procedures on children.” The wording of the 2026 ad goes further than the 2024 ad, which also mentioned “puberty blockers.” Nothing in Brown’s remarks to WSYX shows that he would force surgery on anyone.
The ad remains up on Youtube and in response, Brown ran his own ad:
#OHSen: Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) is up on TV with this response spot on the trans issue -- Warren from Johnstown to camera: "Here they go again, those same attacks against Sherrod Brown" Mary from Granville: "With everything going on, that's what they're talking about?" Mike from Richwood: "In Ohio, it's against the law to perform transgender surgeries on kids. That's right, it's illegal"
— Medium Buying (@MediumBuying) September 18, 2026
