Democrats Harden Stance on Trans Athletes in 2026 Battleground Races After 2024 Losses
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 4
Democrats Harden Stance on Trans Athletes in 2026 Battleground Races After 2024 Losses
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 4
Summary
Battleground Democrats including Marcy Kaptur in Ohio and Don Davis in North Carolina are airing ads opposing transgender girls’ participation in women’s sports or stressing fairness and safety.
The shift is a response to Republican attacks that cast Democrats as out of step on transgender issues, with some candidates instead trying to redirect voters toward affordability and other economic concerns.
The party’s repositioning has unfolded since early 2025, when California Gov. Gavin Newsom called transgender participation in women’s sports “deeply unfair,” signaling a broader opening for Democrats to break with past orthodoxy.
Democrats still remain split: candidates risk backlash either from the party base for limiting transgender rights or from general-election voters, who polls show largely side with Republicans on the sports issue.