Voters in Arizona and Nebraska passed measures bolstering their transgender athlete bans, and Florida solidified its position as a GOP stronghold, offering a few bright spots for conservatives on a night featuring a flood of Democratic victories.
Arizona approved a ballot measure, 59% to 41%, that would designate sports teams as male, female or coed based on the sex of the athletes as recorded at birth. Athletes must stick to their birth-assigned gender when playing.
Similarly, conservatives in Nebraska led a successful effort to require schools to designate sports teams as male, female or coed, and to prohibit male participation on female teams. Voters approved the measure, 68% to 32%, meaning the ban will be added to the state constitution.
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The measures were key victories for President Trump and Republicans, who have warned that biological males were seeking an unfair advantage in female athletics or putting women at risk of injury during competition.
Conservatives will relish the victories on an otherwise bleak night for their movement.
Democrats cruised to the House majority and routed Republicans in major Senate races, giving liberals a key check on Mr. Trump during his last two years in office.
Florida was an exception.
Byron Donalds, a Republican congressman and Trump ally, won the governor’s race over Democrat David Jolly, and Sen. Ashley Moody kept her seat by fending off Democrat Angie Nixon.
Taken together, the races underscored Florida’s emergence as a GOP stronghold less than three decades after the “hanging chad” drama in the 2000 presidential race underscored its position as a political battleground.
Elsewhere, Republicans successfully pushed patriotism-related measures.
Alabama voters approved a ballot measure requiring public schools to broadcast or perform the first stanza of the national anthem once per week.
Voters passed the measure, 59% to 41%.
State Sen. Gerald Allen, a Republican who sponsored the effort, said hearing and performing “The Star-Spangled Banner” would bolster national unity.
“Ultimately, this legislation is about more than a song. It is about ensuring that our children understand the significance of our national symbols, appreciate the freedoms they represent, and recognize the importance of civic responsibility,” he said before the vote. “By taking a small but intentional step each week, we can create opportunities for students to reflect on our shared history and the principles that continue to shape our nation.”
Alabama voters also approved a measure requiring public schools to conduct the Pledge of Allegiance daily and allow for student-led prayer in schools.
It passed, 63% to 37%.
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