Dr. Annie Andrews, a Democratic Senate candidate in South Carolina, issued a video response to Republican attacks focusing on transgender athletes in women’s sports. In the statement, Andrews, a pediatrician, explicitly opposed what she described as biological men competing in women’s sports and stated she has not performed gender surgery on minors. The response came after attacks from Donald Trump and advertisements funded by a Super PAC supporting her Republican opponent, Darline Graham.
Republicans have increasingly made transgender-related issues, particularly trans women’s participation in female sports, a focal point in midterm races. A landmark Supreme Court ruling earlier this year upheld laws in conservative states that exclude transgender girls and women from competing in female sports, which supporters argue represents a policy victory. Pro-Trump messaging has used variations of anti-trans framing in advertisements, with language identical to attacks deployed against Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in recent cycles.
Democratic candidates running in competitive districts have adopted varying approaches to the issue. Some, including Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur of Ohio and Congressman Don Davis of North Carolina, have released advertisements emphasizing opposition to trans athletes in women’s sports or framing it as a state decision. Other candidates, such as Blake Gendebien in New York, have downplayed the issue’s relevance to their districts while opposing trans participation in girls’ sports.
Democratic responses have generated internal disagreement. The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, criticized Kaptur’s messaging as unacceptable and stated it would not support her campaign. The group cited Ohio Senate candidate Sherrod Brown’s approach—redirecting voter focus to economic affordability rather than engaging directly with anti-trans rhetoric—as a preferred model for Democratic candidates facing such attacks.
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