Democrats Split Over Transgender Policy as the Midterms Approach

The Associated Press reported on September 14, 2026, that a growing number of Democratic officials are backing away from their party’s positions on transgender policy, especially school sports, while others are publicly defending them. The disagreement is open and unresolved as the midterm campaign begins in earnest.

Party positioning is not the same thing as law, but it shapes which laws get written and which get challenged. For readers who want the longer arc behind this moment, our transgender history and education hub collects the background that day-to-day news coverage tends to assume. What follows is an account of what was said, by whom, and what the available survey data actually shows.

What did the Associated Press report?

The AP reported that while most Democratic officials remain supporters of the transgender community, an increasing number in both red and blue states are distancing themselves from specific policy positions, most often on athletic participation. The story, “Some Democrats are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues as they seek a path to power” from the Associated Press, was written by Steve Peoples and Geoff Mulvihill and published on the morning of September 14, 2026.

Which Democrats have changed their positions?

Several named officials have shifted, most notably California Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom told the AP that on transgender girls and women in sports, particularly at the school level, he largely agrees with President Donald Trump that the current arrangement is “deeply unfair.” He added that he did not want to be on that side of the argument but would be lying if he said otherwise, and that he has not figured out how to make it fair from his perspective.

In Texas, Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico told Fox News last week that he would vote for a national ban on gender-affirming surgeries for transgender minors, procedures the AP notes are rare. Talarico told the AP he had “missed the mark” on some past statements and said the focus on the subject distracted from economic questions. In Iowa, gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand has spoken against transgender athletes competing in women’s sports as a matter of fairness, and Ohio gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton has taken a similar position, drawing criticism from within her own party for the language she used.

Which Democrats are holding their positions?

Others have not moved, and at least one of them won a contested primary without moving. In Massachusetts, Senator Ed Markey secured the Democratic nomination and credited the win in part to not backing away from transgender rights; he used the issue against Representative Seth Moulton, who had said he would not want his daughters competing against transgender athletes. Moulton apologized for the remark and lost the primary, though the AP observes that his stated position, not Markey’s, is closer to where national polling sits.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has consistently criticized state-level athletic bans as bullying and a setback for equality, and reaffirmed that after the Supreme Court ruling. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro opposes legislated bans and argues athletic organizations, not politicians, should handle eligibility, while also telling The Atlantic last year that he does not think any child deserves an unfair advantage on the field. The AP notes that research on whether transgender women hold athletic advantages has been mixed, and depends in part on whether a person went through puberty as a boy.

How are Republicans using the issue?

Republicans are running on it directly, and say so openly. The subject was a main-stage theme at the party’s midterm convention in Dallas last week, where Trump said he hoped Democrats would continue to defend transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports and added that he was “petrified” they would change. Republicans have also revived the “they/them” framing used against Kamala Harris two years ago, releasing an ad on Friday aimed at Talarico. A political group backed by Elon Musk, America PAC, has begun running digital ads on the same theme in Senate races in Texas, Ohio and Alaska.

What does the polling actually show?

Two independent surveys point in the same direction, and both show Democrats divided rather than united. A Quinnipiac University national poll released June 24, 2026 found that 70 percent of registered voters said transgender women and girls should not be allowed to play on women’s and girls’ school sports teams, against 24 percent who said they should. Among Democrats, the same question split almost evenly: 46 percent yes to 45 percent no. The survey reached 1,165 registered voters between June 18 and June 22 and reports a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

A Pew Research Center short read published August 11, 2026, drawing on surveys conducted in 2025, found 73 percent of Americans uncomfortable with transgender athletes competing on teams that do not match their sex at birth. Among Republicans, that figure was 91 percent. Among Democrats, 55 percent said they were not too or not at all comfortable, 21 percent somewhat comfortable, and 23 percent extremely or very comfortable, with a wide gap between liberal Democrats and moderate and conservative ones. Pew also found majority support, in a separate February 2025 question, for policies protecting transgender people from discrimination in jobs, housing and public spaces.

How are transgender advocates responding?

Advocates are divided too, and the division is about strategy rather than principle. Tyler Hack, executive director of the Christopher Street Project, told the AP that Democratic politicians are increasingly running away from the issue, and described watching election returns as a transgender person as an exercise in quietly wondering whether things will be all right. Hack said he would probably still vote for a Democrat who holds positions his organization opposes, hoping the party takes control of Congress, while making clear those candidates should not expect the group’s endorsement or resources.

Erin Reed, an advocate and independent journalist, took the opposite view. She published a guide this month flagging Democratic candidates she accuses of taking anti-transgender positions across 15 states, and wrote that she would not vote for the worst offenders even if a Republican wins as a result, arguing that a seat can be won back but a party cannot. Readers who want the structural background on how these fights are argued may find our politics and public policy guide useful.

What is the policy backdrop to this debate?

The legal ground shifted earlier this year, which is part of why the political argument has moved. In June, the Supreme Court upheld state laws barring transgender girls from school teams. The AP reports that at least 25 states are now enforcing laws or policies restricting transgender women and girls from at least some women’s and girls’ sports, with three more states having adopted such laws while enforcement is blocked in court.

Athletics is only one front. Most Republican-controlled states have also adopted restrictions that reach further, including bans on some gender-affirming health care for young people and rules on restroom use in schools and, in some places, other public buildings. Our report on state legislatures as the central battleground over transgender policy covers that state-by-state picture in more detail. On scale, the AP cites NCAA president Charlie Baker, who testified in 2024 that he knew of fewer than 10 transgender college athletes among more than 500,000 competitors.

What does this mean for 2028?

The midterm argument is also a rehearsal for the next presidential primary. Newsom and Pritzker, both considered likely contenders, have landed in different places on the same question, and Shapiro in a third. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told Fox earlier this year that he takes seriously both parents worried about fairness and parents worried about their children being excluded, and added that he would be surprised if the issue ranked in the top three, or even the top ten, of voter priorities this year.

None of this settles anything. It is a snapshot of a party arguing with itself in public, in the middle of a campaign, with polling pointing one way and a base pointing another. Our reference library keeps the underlying terms and history in one place for readers following the coverage.

Frequently asked questions

What did Gavin Newsom say about transgender athletes?

Newsom told the Associated Press that he believes it is deeply unfair for people assigned male at birth to compete against girls, particularly in school sports, and that he largely agrees with President Trump on that narrow question. He said he did not want to hold that position and had not found a way to make the situation fair from his perspective.

Are most Democratic officials changing their position on transgender policy?

No. The Associated Press reports that most Democratic officials remain supporters of the transgender community, and that an increasing number, not a majority, are distancing themselves from particular policy positions. Senator Ed Markey, Governor JB Pritzker and Governor Josh Shapiro have all publicly opposed legislated athletic bans, though Shapiro has also raised fairness questions of his own.

What did the Supreme Court decide about transgender athletes in 2026?

In June 2026, the Supreme Court upheld state laws barring transgender girls from girls’ school sports teams, holding that such exclusions did not violate Title IX or the Equal Protection Clause. The decision allows states to set eligibility rules on that basis. It did not require any state to adopt a ban, which is why litigation over individual state policies has continued.

What do national polls say about transgender athletes in women’s sports?

Quinnipiac found in June 2026 that 70 percent of registered voters opposed allowing transgender women and girls on women’s and girls’ school teams, while 24 percent supported it, with Democrats split roughly 46 to 45. In surveys conducted during 2025, Pew found 73 percent of Americans uncomfortable with such participation, including 55 percent of Democrats.

How many states restrict transgender athletes in school sports?

According to the Associated Press, at least 25 states are currently enforcing laws or policies that bar transgender women and girls from at least some women’s and girls’ sports. Three additional states have adopted such laws but cannot enforce them because courts have blocked enforcement. The totals change as litigation moves, so the figure is a September 2026 snapshot.

Are transgender advocacy groups united on how to respond?

They are not. Tyler Hack of the Christopher Street Project told the Associated Press he would likely still vote for Democrats whose positions his group opposes, while withholding endorsement and resources. Journalist and advocate Erin Reed published a guide naming Democratic candidates she considers anti-transgender and said she would not vote for the worst of them, even at the cost of a seat.

This report describes political statements, survey findings, and court decisions. It is not legal or medical advice. Readers with questions about how a specific state law applies to them should speak with an attorney licensed in that state, and our frequently asked questions cover the general ground in plain language.