Iowa candidate Christina Bohannan called state a ‘backwater’ on transgender athletes
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A Democrat hoping to flip one of the nation’s most competitive House seats said his state was “stagnant” because of Republican efforts to ban transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports, according to emerging footage obtained by Fox News Digital.
House candidate Christina Bohannan made the comments at a 2021 legislative forum as she opposed the GOP’s proposal to ban biological men from competing on women’s sports teams.
Bohannan’s comments could provide new 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 make a point,” said Bohannan, who previously served in the Iowa state legislature, referring to his GOP colleagues. he said. “And I think even that really hurts people and sends a very bad message about our state that makes it look like a backwater.”
Christina Bohannan, candidate for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, holds a press conference after visiting Washington County Hospitals and Clinics on July 30, 2025 in Washington, Iowa. (Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen)
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Iowa, under Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, has imposed a ban on transgender athletes in 2022. Bohannan voted against measurement.
The comments are the latest example of Bohannan setting fire to Iowa for rejecting left-wing policies.
Bohannan also said the Hawkeye State would be viewed as a “laggard” in 2021 if lawmakers approve a bill banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) education in public schools and universities. Reynolds signed the law later that year.
“I think it would send a very bad message about Iowa and that it would look like this laggard state that doesn’t understand that there are things like systemic racism,” the Democratic hopeful said on the 2021 “Under the Dome” podcast.
Bohannan notably served as chair of the University of Iowa College of Law’s DEI committee and urged students to support the Black Lives Matter movement, Fox News Digital previously reported. In this role, he sent a letter to students encouraging them to contribute financially to various activist funds; some of them supported defunding the police.
Bohannan lost to Miller-Meeks by less than 800 votes in 2024, making it the closest House race in the country. He also launched an unsuccessful run for the seat in 2022.
Protesters against transgender athletes competing in women’s sports gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on January 13, 2026, as two cases involving transgender girls participating in girls’ and women’s sports teams are heard in court. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
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The nonpartisan Cook Political Report says the rematch contest is a “failure.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which is aggressively working to re-elect Miller-Meeks to a third House term, harshly criticized Bohannan’s remarks in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Liberal Christina Bohannan not only voted against protecting girls sports, she mocked Iowans for advocating for women and girls,” said NRCC spokeswoman Emily Tuttle.
“Bohannan has made it clear that he is for Iowa families, not for them,” Tuttle continued, referencing Trump’s signature line of attack against former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Bohannan for comment.
Bohannan’s remarks come as transgender issues continue to divide Democrats and public opinion polls show broad support for restricting girls’ and women’s sports to biological women.
A. New York Times/Ipsos poll A report published in 2025 found that nearly eight in 10 Americans oppose biological males participating in women’s sports. Nearly 70 percent of Democrats or Democratic-leaning respondents agree, according to the poll.
Miller-Meeks applauded the Supreme Court in June, which upheld state-level bans on biological males participating in women’s sports teams.
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, attends a news conference at the Capitol Visitor Center following a meeting of the House Republican Conference on Dec. 16, 2025. (CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
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“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a win for girls sports,” the Iowa lawmaker said in a statement following the decision. “I have fought and will continue to fight to ensure that every female athlete has a fair chance.”
Bohannan, by contrast, has not commented publicly on the decision.
Fox News Digital’s Elaine Mallon contributed to this report.
