DCCC // Nancy Lacore for Congress

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This week, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the official campaign arm of House Democrats, has begun running an ad in South Carolina for Nancy Lacore, the Democratic nominee in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District. The ad appears to be the first instance of the high-level Democratic organization running an ad targeting transgender people. The 30-second spot, titled “SC-01: That’s Nancy,” went up on YouTube Oct. 19 and began airing yesterday in Charleston and Savannah as “part of the committee’s coordinated spending in key battleground districts.” It features Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie, “a lifelong Republican supporting a Democrat for Congress.” Specifically, it highlights Lacore’s support for a transgender sports ban, with Haynie stating she would “protect girls’ sports,” a statement that a campaign representative confirmed refers to barring transgender girls from girls’ sports.

The ad opens with Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie stating, “I’m Mayor Will Haynie. I’m a lifelong Republican supporting a Democrat for Congress.” He then explains why: “Partisan politics won’t solve our problems. We need leaders who put service first. That’s Nancy Lacore. Nancy will represent us. She’ll be a watchdog for our tax dollars and stand up to both parties to lower costs, secure our border, and protect girls’ sports. Nancy knows what makes the Lowcountry special.” Nancy Lacore then closes with, “I’m Nancy Lacore. I’m proud to have Mayor Haynie’s support, and I approve this message.” Meanwhile, “Paid for by DCCC and Nancy Lacore for Congress” runs at the bottom of the screen.

You can see the ad here:

Though saying she will “protect girls’ sports” has no inherent anti-transgender meaning, in the current political climate it often refers to banning transgender athletes—primarily transgender girls—from competing. And indeed, when asked by the Post and Courier about the ad, her campaign manager, Kaylie Haberstroh, confirmed that Lacore does not support transgender girls playing in girls’ sports leagues and would potentially support legislation in Congress against it. “She wants to acknowledge those concerns that she’s heard, because it is a big issue for voters right now,” Haberstroh said. This makes Lacore the latest in a slew of Democrats running in 2026 to stake out an anti-transgender position and run ads on it.

What’s more alarming for transgender people, however, is that the DCCC is behind the ad. Whereas a candidate’s political ad is the candidate’s choice, an ad paid for by the DCCC is the Democratic Party’s choice. That makes this ad the first known instance of the party itself choosing anti-transgender messaging to win an election, a notable development for those watching for signs that explicitly anti-transgender positions, once rare in the Democratic Party, might be gaining steam across the party as a whole.

This escalation comes as more and more evidence emerges that anti-transgender ads are ineffective, suggesting that embracing anti-transgender messaging is a policy choice rather than a political calculation designed to win an election. This month, multiple polls have shown that voters rank transgender issues among the issues they care about least when voting for a candidate. Those who do rank the issues highly are more likely to be Democrats than Republicans, and more Americans trust Democrats than Republicans to handle transgender issues. Meanwhile, Republicans and their allies, including the American Principles Project and former Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, have warned that anti-transgender messaging alone may not be enough this cycle, or that it simply isn’t resonating. Still, an increasing number of Democrats are choosing to support anti-transgender positions, and now the DCCC itself has done so.

The Lacore ad, run in coordination with the DCCC, is just the latest anti-transgender ad in South Carolina. Earlier this month, Democratic Senate candidate Annie Andrews was called a pejorative word for transgender people by Trump, despite being cisgender. Rather than stand on her record of supportive statements toward transgender people, she made a 180-degree turn, releasing an ad of her own calling transgender women “biological men.” Several other Democratic candidates have also adopted such messaging, tracked by EITM here.

See the DCCC press release supporting this ad here.

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