Democrats Recast Transgender Messaging Before 2026 Midterms as 76% Back Banning Trans Athletes in Women's Sports
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 9
Democrats Recast Transgender Messaging Before 2026 Midterms as 76% Back Banning Trans Athletes in Women's Sports
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 9
Summary
South Carolina Senate nominee Annie Andrews is among Democrats newly saying biological males should not compete in women’s sports and minors should not receive gender-transition surgeries, a shift surfacing in red and swing-state races.
Republicans are pressing the issue again because it worked in 2024, when they spent more than $200 million on transgender-focused ads and now see a fresh opening as Democrats defend fragile congressional majorities.
A Fox News poll last month found 76% support banning biological men from women’s sports, including 77% of independents and 61% of Democrats, giving candidates an incentive to blunt GOP attacks.
The repositioning stretches beyond South Carolina: Texas candidate James Talarico, Iowa candidate Josh Turek, Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur and North Carolina Rep. Don Davis have all adjusted or sharpened their public stance.
The shift still carries risk inside the party, with Republicans calling it election-year damage control and progressives punishing some Democrats, as Seth Moulton’s primary loss to Ed Markey showed.