Two House Democrats in tight races, Marcy Kaptur of Ohio and Don Davis of North Carolina, are running campaign ads that say boys should not play girls’ sports, according to a report published Tuesday, October 6. The ads do not match the votes: when the House passed a bill to do exactly that, Kaptur voted no and Davis voted “present.”
Story Highlights
- Kaptur’s ad says “boys should not play in girls’ sports.”
- She voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act on January 14, 2025.
- Davis’s ad calls for “a safe and fair space for women and girls in sports.” He voted “present” on the same bill.
- Two Democrats running for House seats in Iowa are airing similar ads.
What The Ads Say
Kaptur has represented the Toledo area in Congress since 1983 and is running in Ohio’s 9th District, which was redrawn to lean Republican. “I 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,” she says in her ad.
Davis represents North Carolina’s 1st District and faces Republican Laurie Buckhout, whom he beat by about 6,000 votes in 2024. “There should always be a safe and fair space for women and girls in sports. That’s why I believe states should decide what’s right for protecting women and girls, and North Carolina has decided,” he says in his.
What The Votes Say
The bill at the center of this is the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, known as H.R. 28. It would bar schools that take federal money from letting boys compete on girls’ teams. The House passed it on January 14, 2025, by a vote of 218 to 206. Kaptur was one of the 206 Democrats who voted against it. She is also a co-sponsor of the Equality Act, a Democratic bill that would add gender identity to federal civil rights law.
Davis was the only member of the House to vote “present” on H.R. 28. A “present” vote puts a member on the record as being in the chamber without taking either side. On July 22, 2026, Davis did vote with Republicans on a narrower measure, an amendment to the yearly defense bill that keeps males out of women’s sports at schools the military runs.
How The Campaigns Answer
Kaptur’s spokesperson said the congresswoman “supports parents having more insight into their children’s education” and believes “parents, coaches, and local sports associations — not politicians in Washington — should set the rules.” The campaign of her Republican opponent, former state lawmaker Derek Merrin, said Kaptur has “repeatedly voted to allow biological men to compete against girls.”
Kaptur is taking fire from her own side as well. Democrats in Lucas County, her home base, called the ad “harmful” and said they were “disappointed and ashamed” to hear her use language “we expect from Derek Merrin and the Republicans.”
The Same Turn In Iowa
The report names two more Democrats. Sarah Trone Garriott, an Iowa state senator, is challenging Republican Rep. Zach Nunn. Lindsay James is running for the Iowa seat Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson is leaving. Both opposed Iowa’s 2022 law that keeps boys out of girls’ sports and a 2023 law on school restrooms and locker rooms, and both are now airing ads that take the other side. Nunn’s campaign answered with an ad of its own that accuses Trone Garriott of rewriting her record.
Why This Matters To Parents, Athletes And Schools
Parents want clear rules that protect girls’ sports and privacy, and many felt ignored for years. Republicans pressed the issue as a matter of common sense and equal opportunity for female athletes. Democrats in close districts are now using the same plain words, “fairness” and “girls’ sports,” in the races that could decide control of the House.
A campaign ad lasts thirty seconds. A vote stays in the Congressional Record for good, and anyone can look it up.
Bottom Line For 2026 Voters
The ads tell a simple story: fairness in girls’ sports is a winning message, and Democrats in swing districts know it. Kaptur’s “boys should not play in girls’ sports” line and Davis’s “safe and fair space” both sound like the bill the House passed in January 2025. Neither of them voted for it. Voters in Ohio and North Carolina now have the ad and the roll call side by side, and they can decide which one counts.
Sources:
breitbart.com, urania.institute, nytimes.com, cnn.com, washingtonexaminer.com, newsweek.com
