Salem Dems launch witch trial against colleague for saying trans girls shouldnt compete in female sports

Its the witching hour in Salem. 

Democrats in the Massachusetts city are vowing to producer a challenger to Rep. Seth Moulton in the 2026 midterms, following backlash over his remarks linking trans athletes and identity politics to recent Democratic losses.

Salem Democratic City Committee chair Liz Bradt said several locals are considering a run against Moulton, who has served in Congress in the Democratic stronghold since 2015, the Boston Globe reported. 

The committee voted to condemn Moultons recent comments, made to The New York Times, where he attributed Democratic election losses to the party spend[ing] way too much time trying not to offend anyone.

Moulton also criticized trans participation in womens sports, saying he didnt want his daughters competing against male or formerly male athletes, sparking outrage among LGBTQ advocates and local officials

Bradt, who personally endorsed a 2026 challenger to Moulton, said Wednesday that multiple individuals are considering running against him in Massachusetts Sixth District.

Moultons original comments chided Democrats for worrying too much about offending people rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face, he said.

I have two little girls, I dont want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat, Im supposed to be afraid to say that.

Democrats in Salem, Massachusetts are vowing to producer a challenger for Rep. Seth Moulton, following backlash over his remarks linking trans athletes and identity politics to recent Democratic losses

Salem Democratic City Committee chair Liz Bradt said several locals are considering a run against Moulton, who has served in Congress in the Democratic stronghold since 2015 

 Bradt said his comments harm LGBTQ communities and represent political pandering, but clarified her views do not reflect the entire Democratic committee.

He keeps doing these kind of egregious things...and these comments are basically using his daughters as political fodder, in my view, to make a transphobic comment about people on sports teams, Bradt told the Globe. 

We have a lot of LGBTQIA people who are in our committee, who support our committee, who pay dues, who are voting members, and this is just a huge slap in the face to a number of our members.

Sydney Simon, a spokesperson for Moulton, defended his record on LGBTQ rights and accused Bradt of calling the congressman a Nazi cooperator in an email to a former campaign official. 

I dont put a lot of credence in the word of someone who refers to a fellow Democrat as a Nazi cooperator, Simon said.

Bradt told the Globe that she had said in an email that Moulton is what is know[n] as a "cooperator" in Nazi times. 

Moulton has previously supported trans rights legislation but voted against a Republican bill restricting trans athletes in womens sports. 

Despite the controversy, he remains a prominent Democratic voice, running unopposed in recent elections.

I stand firmly in my belief for the need for competitive womens sports to put limits on the participation of those with the unfair physical advantages that come with being born male, Moulton said in a statement to NBC10 Boston late last week. 

Pictured: University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas was the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship

Pictured: A depiction of the Salem Witch trials that took place in 1892

I am also a strong supporter of the civil rights of all Americans, including transgender rights. I will fight, as I always have, for the rights and safety of all citizens. These two ideas are not mutually exclusive, and we can even disagree on them.

Yet there are many who, shouting from the extreme left corners of social media, believe I have failed the unspoken Democratic Party purity test. 

We did not lose the 2024 election because of any trans person or issue. We lost, in part, because we shame and belittle too many opinions held by too many voters and that needs to stop.

Lets have these debates now, determine a new strategy for our party since our existing one failed, and then unite to oppose the Trump agenda wherever it imperils American values.