US Democratic Senate Candidate Annie Andrews Opposes Trans Women in Women's Sports in Campaign Ad
On Thursday, October 8, 2026, Dr. Annie Andrews, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in South Carolina, released a campaign advertisement declaring that she does not support transgender women competing in women’s sports categories and opposes gender-affirming surgery for minors. According to the LGBTQ+ publication LGBTQ Nation, the public statement came in response to sustained attacks from the Republican Party and a recent social media post by former President Donald Trump, who used an anti-transgender slur against her.
In the 30-second television spot, the 45-year-old pediatrician speaks directly to the camera wearing a white lab coat with a stethoscope over her shoulder: “Politics can get pretty ugly, and when it does, you deserve to hear the truth. My career as a pediatrician has always been about taking care of kids, and I’ve got three of my own. So I want you to hear me loud and clear: I don’t support biological men playing women’s sports, and I don’t support and haven’t ever performed gender surgery for minors.” The ad followed a Truth Social post by Donald Trump calling her “Annie ‘Trannie’ Andrews” and claiming she supports “transgender for everyone” in an effort to boost her Republican opponent, Sen. Darline Graham Nordone—the sister of four-term Senator Lindsey Graham, who passed away in July 2026. Additionally, the conservative-aligned Security Is Strength PAC launched an attack ad asserting that Andrews’ views “are not for South Carolina.”
The advertisement drew swift criticism from both sides of the political aisle. Representatives for Darline Graham Nordone’s campaign and conservative sports advocates accused Andrews of political opportunism and hypocrisy ahead of Election Day. Republicans pointed out that during her 2022 congressional campaign, Andrews publicly opposed South Carolina’s Save Women’s Sports Act, which barred trans girls from female school sports, calling it “shameful legislation” that was “actively harmful” and pledging to “always support trans youth” (posts that have since been deleted). Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ advocates and queer media criticized her adoption of the phrase “biological men” to refer to transgender women. Responding to Democratic candidates adopting more conservative framing on trans issues to court swing voters, Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson remarked: “My honest answer is you’re doing too much and getting too little. You don’t have to sacrifice any member of our community to win in these races, to have a message that resonates with voters.”
Annie Andrews is an associate professor of pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) who became involved in political advocacy through research on pediatric firearm injury prevention following the 2018 Parkland school shooting. In 2022, she ran for the U.S. House of Representatives against conservative Nancy Mace, where her medical background and support for LGBTQ+ youth were similarly targeted. While South Carolina is a Republican stronghold that has not elected a Democratic senator since 2005, 2026 polling has shown a tight race within the margin of error, prompting the Republican Senate Leadership Fund to spend $5 million in the state and turning gender debates into a central campaign battleground.
Previously, Urania reported on a similar campaign ad by North Carolina Democratic Congressman Don Davis endorsing a ban on trans athletes in women’s sports, television spots by Ohio Democrat Marcy Kaptur criticizing gender curricula, voter pushback against Iowa Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand, and debate over civil rights groups endorsing Democratic candidates with conservative voting records on trans rights.
