Dr. Annie Andrews, a Democratic Senate candidate in South Carolina, has responded to persistent efforts by Republicans to make trans athletes in women’s sports a wedge issue in the race. In a restrained direct-to-camera statement, Andrews – a pediatrician – outlined her opposition to "biological men playing in women’s sports" as her party pushes back against Republican attacks.

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"I want you to hear me loud and clear: I don’t support biological men playing in women’s sports, and I don’t support and haven’t ever performed gender surgery for minors," Andrews said in a new ad.

Context

Andrews’ video, in which she wears a white lab coat with a stethoscope around her neck, was in response to recent attacks from Donald Trump and an aggressive ad paid for by a super political action committee (PAC) supporting her Republican opponent, Darline Graham. The ad claims Andrews "is for they/them" and frames a transgender person as predatory toward a child.

Republicans are using anti-trans issues, such as keeping trans women off women’s and girls’ sports teams, to try to thwart Democrats in the upcoming midterms. Trump has pushed the issue for years. A landmark Supreme Court ruling earlier this year handed Trump a key "culture war" victory by upholding laws in two conservative states excluding transgender girls and women from competing in female sports.

Developments

Andrews, who has previously been vocal in her support of trans people, used her response ad to directly address Republican criticisms and claims as the party pushes anti-trans attacks against Democrats nationwide. Some Democrats running in competitive districts have shifted their tone on the issue of trans rights, particularly regarding trans athletes in women’s sports.

  • Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, seeking re-election in a district that voted for Trump in 2024, recently aired an ad touting that she "voted with Republicans to keep transgender ideology out of our schools" and "boys should not play in girls’ sports".
  • Congressman Don Davis of North Carolina, running for re-election in a district that also backed the president in 2024, released an ad saying: "There’s real concerns about fairness and safety; that’s what I believe states should decide what’s right for protecting women and girls."
  • Blake Gendebien, the Democratic candidate running in a primarily Republican district in New York, released an ad stating that "boys shouldn’t play on girls’ sports teams" while also highlighting that the topic was a non-issue in the district. "The thing is, in 20 years raising a family here, I haven’t heard this issue come up. Not once," Gendebien said. "But internet trolls like [the Republican candidate] Anthony Constantino use it to rile people up."