Four Democratic candidates in competitive House races are running ads casting themselves as defenders of girls’ sports, despite voting records showing they opposed or sidestepped legislation banning biological males from female competition, according to a report published Monday.
The New York Post reported that the candidates, two incumbents and two first-time contenders, are financing spots that claim they are willing to break with their party to protect female athletes, even as their records show otherwise.
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), locked in a tight race against Republican Derek Merrin, addresses the issue directly in one ad.
“I voted with Republicans to keep transgender ideology out of our schools because parents know what’s best for their kids. And boys should not play in girls’ sports,” Kaptur says in the spot.
The Ohio Democrat opposed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, joining 205 other members of her caucus against the bill. She is also a co-sponsor of the Equality Act, which critics say would eliminate sex-based distinctions in athletics.
Rep. Don Davis (D-NC) voted “present” on the same measure, which passed 218-206, with two Texas Democrats joining Republicans. In his own ad, the North Carolina Democrat argues states should set the rules.
“There should always be a safe and fair space for women and girls in sports,” Davis says. “That’s why I believe states should decide what’s right for protecting women and girls, and North Carolina has decided.”
Sarah Trone Garriott, an Iowa state senator challenging Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA), claimed in an ad that she opposes “letting men in women’s locker rooms.” As a legislator, she voted against a 2022 bill barring transgender athletes from girls’ sports and a 2023 measure restricting locker-room access, both signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Nunn’s campaign responded with its own spot accusing her of rewriting her record. Democratic candidate Lindsay James, running for Rep. Ashley Hinson’s vacant Iowa seat, also opposed both state measures.
The ads come as vulnerable Democrats across the map recalibrate their messaging ahead of the November midterms, while candidates in safer seats move the other way. Socialist nominee Claire Valdez recently affirmed a “Trans Bill of Rights” as a priority if Democrats take the House.
A Pew Research Center analysis found 73 percent of Americans expressed concern about transgender athletes competing against their birth sex, with 55 percent of Democrats uncomfortable with the practice.
The report drew reactions on X, where users circulated the candidates’ voting records and questioned the ads’ timing.