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Democrats responded to anti-trans attacks this year — and won

November 10, 2025

Democrat Abigail Spanberger's decisive 2025 Virginia gubernatorial victory, particularly her strong performance in Northern Virginia's Loudoun County where she outpaced Kamala Harris's 2024 margins by 12 points, has provided Democrats with a potential blueprint for countering Republican anti-transgender attacks. While Harris's campaign struggled to respond effectively to similar attacks costing her support among key suburban voters in swing states, Spanberger directly addressed her opponent's $7-9 million anti-trans ad campaign by emphasizing her law enforcement background, her role as a mother of three daughters, and Virginia's decade-long case-by-case local approach to transgender student athletes. Unlike some prominent Democrats who distanced themselves from trans rights after Harris's loss, Spanberger maintained her values while reframing the debate around local control and keeping politics out of schools, winning not only strong majorities among trans rights supporters but also nearly a quarter of voters who felt such support had "gone too far.

Who is affected

  • Kamala Harris and her 2024 presidential campaign
  • Abigail Spanberger (Democratic Virginia gubernatorial winner)
  • Winsome Earle-Sears (Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate)
  • Mikie Sherrill (Democratic New Jersey gubernatorial winner)
  • Jack Ciattarelli (Republican New Jersey gubernatorial candidate)
  • Transgender youth and the broader LGBTQ+ community, particularly the approximately 18,000 trans youth in Virginia
  • Suburban voters, particularly in Northern Virginia's Loudoun County and swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin
  • Democratic candidates seeking election in 2026 and 2028
  • Politicians who commented post-Harris loss: Gavin Newsom, Pete Buttigieg, and Seth Moulton
  • Rep. Sarah McBride (first openly transgender member of Congress)
  • Virginia families and students affected by transgender sports policies

What action is being taken

  • The Human Rights Campaign is releasing a "playbook" for 2026 candidates on how to effectively respond to anti-trans attacks
  • Virginia Republicans are attempting to rewrite the state's transgender athlete policy
  • Political strategists and progressive groups are dissecting Spanberger's and Sherrill's campaign strategies
  • Democrats are analyzing these victories for strategies to regain the White House in 2028 and Congress in upcoming elections

Why it matters

  • This matters because it demonstrates a potentially effective Democratic strategy for responding to Republican attacks on transgender rights issues without abandoning core values or alienating vulnerable communities. Spanberger's approach proved successful in winning over not only trans rights supporters but also a significant portion of voters skeptical of such rights, while keeping focus on issues voters ranked as more important like the economy, healthcare, and education. The victory is particularly significant given that suburban voters cast more than half of votes nationally and have historically been determinative in presidential races, with the candidate winning suburbs typically winning the presidency since 1980. The contrast between Spanberger's success and Harris's struggle with similar attacks provides Democrats with concrete evidence that direct engagement rather than avoidance or distancing may be more effective in competitive races.

What's next

  • The Human Rights Campaign will release a "playbook" for 2026 candidates based on lessons from the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial contests
  • Democrats will attempt to apply these strategies to take back one or both chambers of Congress in upcoming elections and regain the White House in 2028
  • Virginia Republicans will continue attempting to rewrite the state's transgender athlete policy

Read full article from source: The 19th

Democrats responded to anti-trans attacks this year — and won