WATCH: Battleground Democrat called Iowa a 'backwater' over transgender athletes ban
A Democrat hoping to flip one of many nation’s best Home seats referred to as her state a “backwater” over Republican efforts to bar transgender athletes from women’ and ladies’s sports activities, in response to unearthed footage obtained by Fox Information Digital.
Home candidate Christina Bohannan made the feedback throughout a 2021 legislative discussion board whereas opposing a GOP proposal barring organic males from competing on feminine sports activities groups.
Bohannan’s feedback may present recent ammunition for Republicans because the repeat candidate seeks a 3rd bid in opposition to Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, in a swing district that President Donald Trump carried by greater than eight factors in 2024.
“They’re introducing these payments and making these feedback to attempt to make some extent,” Bohannan, who beforehand served within the Iowa state legislature, mentioned, referring to her GOP colleagues. “And I feel even that’s actually damaging to folks and sends a really dangerous message about our state that’s going to make the state appear to be a backwater.”
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Iowa, underneath Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, enacted a transgender athletes ban in 2022. Bohannan voted against the measure.
The feedback are the most recent occasion of Bohannan torching Iowa for rejecting left-wing insurance policies.
Bohannan additionally mentioned in 2021 the Hawkeye State can be seen as “backwards” if lawmakers accepted a invoice prohibiting range, fairness and inclusion (DEI) coaching at public faculties and universities. Reynolds signed the laws later that 12 months.
“I feel that it’ll ship a really dangerous message about Iowa and that it’ll seem to be…this backwards state that does not perceive there are issues like systemic racism,” the Democrat hopeful mentioned on the “Underneath the Dome” podcast in 2021.
Bohannan notably served as chairwoman of the College of Iowa School of Regulation’s DEI committee, the place she urged college students to help the Black Lives Matter motion, Fox Information Digital beforehand reported. In that position, she despatched college students a letter encouraging them to financially contribute to a number of activist funds, a few of which supported defunding police.
Bohannan misplaced to Miller-Meeks by fewer than 800 votes in 2024, making it the closest Home race within the nation. She additionally launched a failed run for the seat in 2022.
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The nonpartisan Cook dinner Political Report says the rematch contest is a “toss-up.”
The Nationwide Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which is aggressively working to re-elect Miller-Meeks to a 3rd Home time period, sharply criticized Bohannan’s remarks in an announcement to Fox Information Digital.
“Liberal Christina Bohannan did not simply vote in opposition to defending women’ sports activities, she mocked Iowans for standing up for ladies and women,” NRCC spokeswoman Emily Tuttle mentioned.
“Bohannan has made it clear she’s for they/them, not Iowa households,” Tuttle continued, invoking Trump’s signature assault line in opposition to former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Fox Information Digital reached out to Bohannan for remark.
Bohannan’s remarks come as transgender points proceed to separate Democrats, whereas public polling has proven broad help for limiting women’ and ladies’s sports activities to organic females.
A New York Times/Ipsos poll launched in 2025 discovered that just about eight in 10 People opposed organic males taking part in ladies’s sports activities. Roughly 70% of Democrats or Democrat-leaning respondents held the identical place, in response to the survey.
Miller-Meeks cheered the Supreme Court docket in June upholding state-level bans on organic males taking part on feminine sports activities groups.
“At this time’s Supreme Court docket resolution is a win for ladies’ sports activities,” the Iowa lawmaker mentioned in an announcement following the ruling. “I’ve and can proceed to combat to make sure each feminine athlete has a good likelihood.”
Bohannan, against this, didn’t seem to publicly touch upon the ruling.
Fox Information Digital’s Elaine Mallon contributed to this report.
