Democrats distance themselves from trans rights – close midterm races may show whether that pays off
Democratic candidates are split on transgender issues heading into the 2026 midterms. In Texas, Senate nominee James Talarico reversed past support for transgender athletes, saying he would oppose their participation in girls' sports if it endangered safety or fairness, language researchers describe as a common anti-trans framing; his polling lead has narrowed since, from about 3.16 points in summer to 2.66 points by mid-September.
In Ohio, gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton referred to transgender girls as boys and Rep. Marcy Kaptur's campaign ran ads on transgender children in school sports, drawing condemnation from her own county party and resignations from state Pride Caucus leaders. By contrast, Sen. Sherrod Brown has kept his messaging on affordability and corrected a misleading GOP super PAC ad about transgender healthcare rather than shifting his own position; recent polling has him outperforming Acton by 2 points.
Elon Musk's America PAC has spent $100 million on anti-trans ads in battleground states including Texas, Ohio, and Alaska, some featuring people implied to be transgender using actors or AI-generated imagery whose authenticity is unclear.
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