Why Some Democrats Are Shifting Their Message on Transgender Athletes in 2026
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In brief
Ahead of the 2026 midterms, a number of Democratic candidates in competitive races have started voicing support for restricting transgender athletes to teams matching their sex at birth, breaking with the party's longstanding defensive posture. The shift follows Republican ad campaigns on the issue and polling showing most Americans back such restrictions, though it has drawn criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates within the party.
Several Democratic candidates running in competitive 2026 House, Senate and governor's races have begun saying they support restrictions on transgender athletes in women's and girls' sports, a departure from the party's traditional approach of defending transgender rights broadly without singling out the sports issue. The shift has unfolded over 2025 and into the 2026 campaign season as Republicans have made transgender athlete policy a recurring theme in television advertising.
Who is changing their message
In Ohio's 9th District, Representative Marcy Kaptur, who is running for reelection in a district former President Trump won by more than 10 points, said in a campaign ad that she had voted with Republicans to limit how transgender identity is addressed in schools and that she does not believe boys should compete in girls' sports. The messaging prompted Equality Ohio, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, to downgrade her candidate rating, according to Yahoo News.
In Iowa, Senate candidate Josh Turek, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist, told The New York Times in July that he does not believe biological males should compete against females in sports. Gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand has taken a similar position, saying at a Johnson County town hall on September 14 that girls' sports should be for girls and boys' sports for boys; Yahoo News reported that at least one attendee reacted critically to the remark. Fellow Iowa Democrats Sarah Trone Garriott and Lindsay James have used comparable language about keeping sports fair and about opposing men in women's locker rooms.
In New York, Senate candidate Blake Gendebien has said boys should not play on girls' sports teams, according to Roll Call. In Texas, Senate candidate James Talarico told Fox News he opposes trans athletes playing in girls' sports if it endangers safety or fairness. In Ohio's governor's race, Amy Acton, a former state health director, has said she does not support boys playing in girls' sports and would uphold the state's existing ban, per Yahoo News.
Not every Democrat is engaging the same way
Other candidates are avoiding the issue rather than taking a position on it. Roll Call reported that Texas's Talarico and Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown have tried to redirect debate stage and interview questions toward economic issues such as inflation and the cost of living instead of discussing transgender athlete policy directly.
Why Republicans are pushing the issue
According to AdImpact data cited by Yahoo News, Republican campaigns have aired 82 broadcast television ads addressing transgender issues in House and Senate races so far this cycle. Roll Call described the approach as a continuation of messaging Republicans used in the 2024 election cycle, aimed at casting Democrats as out of step with majority public opinion.
What the polling shows
A Pew Research Center survey of 5,097 U.S. adults conducted February 10–17, 2025 found that 66% favored laws or policies requiring transgender athletes to compete on teams matching their sex assigned at birth, up from 58% in 2022. A separate Pew short-read noted that Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to support limits on transgender protections generally, with gaps of 43 to 50 percentage points depending on the specific policy. On the related question of banning transition-related medical care for minors, Pew found 79% of Republicans and 35% of Democrats in favor as of February 2025, compared with 72% and 26% respectively in 2022. Separately, a YouGov survey conducted May 7–10, 2026 among 1,112 adults, cited by Yahoo News, found 57% support for restricting transgender athletes to sex-assigned-at-birth teams and 20% opposed, while majorities in the same survey backed other LGBTQ+ protections such as including gender identity in hate-crime laws and employment nondiscrimination rules.
Public opinion on transgender athlete restrictions, by survey
Survey
Date
Finding
Pew Research Center
Feb. 10–17, 2025
66% of U.S. adults favor requiring trans athletes to compete on teams matching sex at birth, up from 58% in 2022
YouGov (via Yahoo News)
May 7–10, 2026
57% support restricting trans athletes to sex-assigned-at-birth teams; 20% oppose
Reaction from within the party
The shift has drawn criticism from progressive Democrats and LGBTQ+ advocates. Transgender writer Erin Reed said the candidates' positioning leaves transgender constituents feeling unwelcome and devalued, according to Yahoo News. Roll Call reported that Representative Mark Takano said the party would continue to welcome lawmakers who do not agree with it on every vote, while cautioning against candidates adopting rhetoric associated with Republicans. Vermont Senator Peter Welch offered a more pragmatic explanation for colleagues' positioning when asked by Roll Call about the shift.
They're running to win.
— Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), quoted by Roll Call
Despite the shift on sports-related messaging, Roll Call and Yahoo News both reported that most of the candidates involved have not stepped back from supporting the transgender community on other issues, such as nondiscrimination protections, and continue to frame their sports position as narrow rather than a broader reversal.
Questions
Which Democratic candidates have changed their messaging on transgender athletes?
Candidates including Rep. Marcy Kaptur and Amy Acton in Ohio, Josh Turek and Rob Sand in Iowa, Blake Gendebien in New York, and James Talarico in Texas have voiced support for restricting transgender athletes to teams matching their sex at birth, according to Yahoo News and Roll Call.
Why are Democrats shifting their position now?
The shift follows a wave of Republican television advertising on the issue — 82 broadcast ads in House and Senate races this cycle, per AdImpact data cited by Yahoo News — and polling showing most Americans favor restrictions on transgender athletes in women's sports.
What does polling actually show about public opinion?
A February 2025 Pew Research Center survey found 66% of U.S. adults favor requiring transgender athletes to compete on teams matching their sex at birth, up from 58% in 2022. A May 2026 YouGov survey found 57% support and 20% opposition to similar restrictions.
How have LGBTQ+ advocates responded to the shift?
Advocates including transgender writer Erin Reed have criticized the new messaging as alienating transgender constituents, while some Democratic lawmakers, such as Rep. Mark Takano, have said the party will continue to welcome members who disagree on individual votes but should avoid echoing rhetoric associated with Republicans, per Roll Call.
Are these Democrats abandoning support for transgender rights overall?
According to Roll Call and Yahoo News, most candidates frame their position as limited to sports and have continued to support other protections for transgender people, such as nondiscrimination laws.
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