A Democrat hoping to flip one of the country’s most competitive House seats called her state a “backwater” over Republican efforts to bar transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports, according to unearthed footage obtained by Fox News Digital.
House candidate Christina Bohannan made the comments during a 2021 legislative forum while opposing a GOP proposal barring biological males from competing on female sports teams.
Bohannan’s comments could provide fresh ammunition for Republicans as the repeat candidate seeks a third bid against Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, in a swing district that President Donald Trump carried by more than eight points in 2024.
“They’re introducing these bills and making these comments to try to make a point,” Bohannan, who previously served in the Iowa state legislature, said, referring to her GOP colleagues. “And I think even that is really damaging to people and sends a very bad message about our state that’s going to make the state look like a backwater.”
FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: DEMOCRATS LEAD IN THE HOUSE, BUT REDISTRICTING KEEPS THE GOP IN THE GAME
Iowa, under Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, enacted a transgender athletes ban in 2022. Bohannan voted against the measure.
The comments are the latest instance of Bohannan torching Iowa for rejecting left-wing policies.
Bohannan also said in 2021 the Hawkeye State would be seen as “backwards” if lawmakers approved a bill prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training at public schools and universities. Reynolds signed the legislation later that year.
“I think that it’s going to send a very bad message about Iowa and that it is going to seem like…this backwards state that doesn’t understand there are things like systemic racism,” the Democrat hopeful said on the “Under the Dome” podcast in 2021.
Bohannan notably served as chairwoman of the University of Iowa College of Law’s DEI committee, where she urged students to support the Black Lives Matter movement, Fox News Digital previously reported. In that role, she sent students a letter encouraging them to financially contribute to several activist funds, some of which supported defunding police.
Bohannan lost to Miller-Meeks by fewer than 800 votes in 2024, making it the closest House race in the nation. She also launched a failed run for the seat in 2022.
BATTLEGROUND DEMOCRAT FLIP-FLOPS ON CONVERSION THERAPY AFTER LEFT-WING BACKLASH
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report says the rematch contest is a “toss-up.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which is aggressively working to re-elect Miller-Meeks to a third House term, sharply criticized Bohannan’s remarks in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Liberal Christina Bohannan didn’t just vote against protecting girls’ sports, she mocked Iowans for standing up for women and girls,” NRCC spokeswoman Emily Tuttle said.
“Bohannan has made it clear she’s for they/them, not Iowa families,” Tuttle continued, invoking Trump’s signature attack line against former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Fox News Digital reached out to Bohannan for comment.
Bohannan’s remarks come as transgender issues continue to split Democrats, while public polling has shown broad support for limiting girls’ and women’s sports to biological females.
A New York Times/Ipsos poll released in 2025 found that nearly eight in 10 Americans opposed biological males participating in women’s sports. Roughly 70% of Democrats or Democrat-leaning respondents held the same position, according to the survey.
Miller-Meeks cheered the Supreme Court in June upholding state-level bans on biological males participating on female sports teams.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a win for girls’ sports,” the Iowa lawmaker said in a statement following the ruling. “I have and will continue to fight to ensure every female athlete has a fair chance.”
Bohannan, by contrast, did not appear to publicly comment on the ruling.
Fox News Digital’s Elaine Mallon contributed to this report.
WATCH: Battleground Democrat called Iowa a ‘backwater’ over transgender athletes ban 2026 IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2025 2026-07-29 12:57:26 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
