Inside the transgender rights fight injecting chaos into Democrats' midterm efforts

An intra-party debate over how best to deflect Republican attacks on transgender issues has Democrats angrily sniping at each other just weeks out from the midterm elections.Why it matters: This is not the position Democrats hoped to be in two years after their 2024 election loss, which many in the party attributed to being outflanked by GOP messaging on trans issues."People feel you need to respond in some way to some of these attacks because people didn't do it two years ago," Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), a co-chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, told Axios."But you also need to realize what we're winning on right now," Pocan added, saying Democratic candidates need to strike "a balance.""Silence is deadly, and I think we played that out in 2024," said Lanae Erickson, a senior vice president at the centrist think tank Third Way, citing polling that found most voters believed Democrats "thought there should be no rules in sports, no rules around health care."Driving the news: Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) set off a firestorm in her district and on Capitol Hill in September by stating in a direct-to-camera ad that she "voted with Republicans to keep transgender ideology out of our schools.""Parents know what's best for their kids, and boys should not play in girls' sports," Kaptur said in the spot — a response to an ad from Republican Derek Merrin that said she "voted to let biological men compete against girls in their sports."Multiple county parties condemned the ad — particularly the reference to transgender girls as "boys" — and urged Kaptur to take it down. One LGBTQ+ group, the Lucas County Stonewall Democrats, said in a statement there is "no difference" between Kaptur and Merrin because they are "both united against the LBTQIA+ community."What they're saying: "The ads were deeply offensive to the Equality Caucus and the broader LGBTQ community that we represent," said Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), who co-chairs the caucus' political arm, Equality PAC.He told Axios: "The Equality Caucus is not going to stand by passively and allow anyone to scapegoat the trans community. It is a red line for us."Equality PAC "is absolutely not supporting her campaign at this time," the group said in a separate statement to Axios, calling Kaptur's language "unacceptable."What we're hearing: Kaptur's colleagues also privately communicated their disgust with the ad to her office, multiple House Democrats familiar with the matter told Axios. The lawmakers predicted there will be in-person conversations with Kaptur when the House returns in November, especially if she wins her election."Marcy set the record straight for NW Ohio voters on where she stands: giving parents more say in the classroom and ensuring parents, coaches, and local sports associations — not politicians in Washington — set the rules in their communities to ensure girls' sports stay fair," said Kaptur campaign spokesperson Kylie Blitzer."She is focused on lowering costs and standing u