<p>Democratic House candidates are communicating support for "common-sense rules" aimed at keeping transgender student athletes out of girls' sports and increasing parental control, while also indicating agreement with Republicans on this issue.</p>
<p>However, their voting records as state or federal lawmakers present a contrasting narrative.</p>
<p>Democrats in competitive districts are moderating their policy positions by running advertisements that emphasize their stance on transgender politics. In various high-profile races, such as in Texas, candidates have similarly altered their positions regarding transgender athletes.</p>
<p>Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) states in an advertisement that she "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." This statement is framed alongside comments on affordability, the Iran war, and inflation.</p>
<p>Despite these claims, Kaptur has voted against several bills aimed at restricting transgender athlete participation in sports. In Congress, she opposed bills in 2023 and 2025 that sought to prohibit schools from allowing biological males to participate in girls' sports and voted against a proposal in 2024 to reverse a Biden-era Education Department rule permitting transgender athletes in women’s sports. Kaptur is facing Republican former Ohio state Representative Derek Merrin in a newly drawn district that is expected to favor Republican candidates.</p>
<p>In Iowa, congressional candidates state Representative Lindsay James and state Senator Sarah Trone Garriott are also running similar advertisements and have comparable voting records.</p>
<p>James, a pastor contesting against Republican former state Representative Joe Mitchell in a district that Trump won by 10 points, states in a 30-second advertisement that "children are made in the image of God" and that "we need common sense rules." However, she does not specify her plans regarding this issue.</p>
<p>James has voted against a 2022 law prohibiting biological males from participating in women's sports at the grade school and college levels, opposed a 2023 requirement for students to use bathrooms corresponding to their biological sex, and has voted against measures that would require parental notification if a student sought to change their gender.</p>
<p>Trone Garriott's advertisement claims she opposes "letting men in women’s locker rooms and voted to let parents, not politicians, make decisions for their kids." She also asserts that "politicians have become too extreme on these issues, and I’ll always put kids and families first." As a state lawmaker, she voted against similar measures, including those barring biological males from women's sports and requiring students to use bathrooms corresponding to their biological sex.</p>
<p>None of the candidates’ campaigns responded to requests for comment.</p>
<p>The advertisements from these candidates highlight the complex political landscape surrounding this issue, particularly after Republicans invested heavily in attacking 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris over similar topics. During that campaign, Harris did not respond to those attack ads.</p>
<p>Republicans are now aiming to replicate that success on this cultural issue as they prepare for a challenging midterm environment influenced by the Iran war and associated rising costs.</p>
<p>The House Republican campaign arm has accused Democrats of misrepresenting their records. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella stated, "Republicans have House Democrats dead to rights after they repeatedly voted to let biological boys compete in girls’ sports. Now, Democrats are forced to spend their precious campaign cash on the airwaves defending their radical position and desperately lying to voters about their records because they know they’re wildly out of touch."</p>