Advocate NL 11/2/26

Hello and Happy November, folks!Audience Editor Edgar Ramirez here, back in your inbox and entering a November that's already giving us some surprises. And now, we're not talking about J.D. Vance's Halloween costume -- or a certain Michigan lawmaker.To start, the Texas Supreme Court has halted a deposition aimed at exposing who is behind political mailers smearing a transgender advocacy group.As Jacob Ogles reports, the state high court paused the questioning ordered by a lower court judge just 15 minutes before it was scheduled to begin, delaying an effort to uncover who produced and financed the mailers.Here's another one: During the 2024 election cycle, Republican groups spent $124 million on TV ads attacking trans student participation — which comes out to about $700,000 per *actual* trans student athlete.This spending has remained astronomical in the 2026 cycle. Ahead of the midterm elections, our sister publication Them (and The Advocate) broke down the numbers behind the spending on four ballot initiatives — and what it amounts to per trans student athlete.In a happier surprise, don't miss this heartwarming story Christopher Wiggins reported over the weekend on Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and her longtime friend who traveled thousands of miles to see her in action at a historic LGBTQ+ bar. Friendly reminder: With Election Day tomorrow, we'll have a later-than-usual newsletter arriving in your inbox. Be sure to follow our social accounts and our site for all the latest election news!Decades after helping a college friend come out, Virginia governor urges voters to protect marriage equalityBased on anti-trans spending, right-wingers could afford to pay every trans student athlete a six-figure salaryTexas Supreme Court halts questioning over who’s behind fake trans advocacy mailers to familiesTrump’s team covered Dubuque’s ‘Solidarity’ mural with a tarp ahead of his arrival in IowaAsked about affordability, JD Vance pivots to Jon Husted’s ??