Perhaps one hazard the Democrats face is that while a majority of all voting-age Americans may be OK with LGBTQ+, gay marriage, Pride parades, a majority of older Americans, who tend to vote in higher %s than younger Americans, may prefer a return to the glorious past in which such people remained in the closet or faced serious consequences. That is, it's possible a majority of American adults prefer one thing, but a majority of likely voters prefers another. I'm nowhere near convinced Americans are as tolerant and socially liberal as many polls paint us to be.

In which case, Democrats pointing out to the American public that new anti-gay laws in the US are just following in Russia's autocratic shadow may do little more than spur the public to ask what took so long?

In short, I figure Republicans are more right than wrong about the electoral efficacy of Culture War issues. Definitely in a majority of states. In a sense, California is no longer a cultural bellwether, Florida is (God help us).