Democrats planning to replace Seth Moulton after speaking out against trans athletes

Democrats in Massachusetts are plotting a revolt against House Rep. Seth Moulton after he made multiple statements condemning his party for supporting trans inclusion in women's sports, according to the Boston Globe. 

Salem Democratic City Committee chair Liz Bradt told the Globe that she had heard from "several" people in the area who were considering running against him in Massachusetts’ Sixth District.

"We will find someone to run against him and win," Bradt said. 

Moulton is up for re-election in 2026. But he has been the subject of intense criticism by members in his own state and party since last week, when he spoke out against his party's stance on trans athletes in women's and girls' sports in a New York Times article. Moulton has doubled down on his comments in several interviews since then, inciting more and more backlash from his party members. 

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) questions Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley during a House Armed Services Committee hearing July 9, 2020, on "Department of Defense Authorities and Roles Related to Civilian Law Enforcement," in Washington, D.C.  (Greg Nash/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Salem city councilor Kyle Davis, who is planning a pro-trans rally outside of Moulton's office this Sunday, told Fox News Digital that he will actively contribute to another candidate who challenges Moulton, and is even calling for the congressman to resign ahead of 2026. 

"I certainly am calling on Seth Moulton to resign and will be supporting any Democrat and LGBT ally that runs against him," Davis said. 

Moulton's original comments about the subject were rooted in his stance as a father to two daughters. In television interviews with CNN and MSNBC, the Democrat has stood firm and has not made any apologies. 

But Moulton also told Fox News Digital's Liz Elkind in an exclusive interview that there are others in the Democrat party who agree with him. 

 "While a few, a handful, maybe just a couple members of Congress have spoken out against the comments, I've got an awful lot more who will go up to me privately and say thank you," Moulton said. 

Moulton also said he welcomes any challengers from within his own party to run against him in 2026. 

"It’s a democracy. If you want to run against me, go for it," Moulton said, but added that it was "not going to be very helpful for winning elections."

"What we need to do is defeat Republicans, not fellow Democrats."

Democrats who have previously voted for laws that would enable transgender inclusion in women's sports have publicly denounced their support for the concept in the weeks leading up to Election Day. They include Texas Reps. Colin Allred and Vicente Gonzalez and Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola. 

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Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., also spoke out against trans inclusion in the same New York Times article as Moulton. 

The Biden-Harris administration passed a sweeping reform to Title IX in April that aimed to provide more protection for gender identity in schools and universities. It clarified that Title IX’s ban on "sex" discrimination in schools covers discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation and "pregnancy or related conditions."

And while the administration insisted the regulation does not address athletic eligibility, multiple experts presented evidence to Fox News Digital in June that it would ultimately put more biological men in women's sports. 

Democrats have introduced and co-sponsored the Equality Act in congress, which was proposed in 2019 and has had revisions that "would force public schools to allow biologically male athletes who identify as transgender on girls' sports teams."

In March 2023, Democrats advocated for a transgender bill of rights, proposing a resolution "recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights." 

Multiple states have filed lawsuits and enacted their own laws to address this issue, and then the U.S. Supreme Court then voted 5-4 in August to reject an emergency request by the Biden administration to enforce its sweeping Title IX changes in the states trying to prevent it. 

But that hasn't prevented such reforms from happening altogether, thanks to the work of Democrat judges. At the high school level, multiple Obama-era federal judges have passed rulings that allow transgender inclusion in girls sports. Judges Landya McCafferty in New Hampshire and M. Hannah Lauck of Virgina each issued rulings this year that enabled biological males to play on high school girls' soccer and tennis teams. Both judges were appointed by Obama in the early 2010s. 

President Trump has proposed a full-on ban of all trans inclusion in women's and girls' sports, and it was a campaign issue that he and other Republicans hammered Democrat opponents on in the recent election, en-route to taking back control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives. 

2020 US Democratic Presidential hopeful Representative for Massachusetts' 6th congressional district Seth Moulton announces he is ending his campaign for the President of The United States during the Democratic National Committee's summer meeting in San Francisco, California on August 23, 2019.  (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images)

"People think that this is exactly the kind of debate that we need to have. And it's not just on trans issues, it's on the economy. Why are we out of touch with Americans on the economy when Trump's plan is going to dramatically raise grocery prices? . . . How is it that we're so out of touch on immigration when we're the ones who proposed a bipartisan immigration deal?" Moulton said to Fox News Digital. 

"It seems like Democrats do have a lot of good solutions for working Americans, and yet we're really out of touch. So we've got to ask ourselves that question. Why have we lost touch with so many people across America?" 

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.