Representative Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat from Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, is working to assure voters that she opposes men using women’s locker rooms. She feels her opponents are trying to misrepresent her stance on the issue.
In a recent campaign video, she stated, “I’m a mother of two children who attend public schools in Iowa, and their education and safety literally keeps me up at night. So when my opponent cherry-picks and distorts my record, I have to make it right.” She added firmly, “I am against having men in women’s locker rooms.”
Interestingly, a Washington mother reported an incident where she saw an adult man showering in the girls’ locker room during her child’s swim meet. This has raised concerns for many parents.
However, Garriott’s previous voting record during her time in the Iowa House complicates her current claims. She is now aiming to win one of the most competitive House seats, hoping to unseat incumbent Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa).
Even before she became the Democratic nominee, Republicans highlighted past votes that suggested she may have supported more liberal positions than her current campaign indicates. For instance, some criticized her for offering a Muslim prayer on the floor of the Iowa State Senate and for officiating a wedding ceremony for a satanic couple.
Vice President J.D. Vance pointed to Garriott’s voting history regarding bathroom policies in his campaign speeches. He emphasized that she has voted to allow biological males into girls’ sports from kindergarten and against banning sex reassignment surgeries for minors.
Specifically, Vance referenced two votes from Garriott: one that passed in 2023, which would limit bathroom access based on biological sex, and another from 2022 governing eligibility for school sports teams. Garriott opposed both measures.
This voting pattern seems consistent with her remarks made in 2023, where she linked bathroom and sports policies to issues of racial and gender tensions. She suggested that “the concept of white male authority is very threatening because it muddies the waters.” In a speech, she mentioned increased legislation focusing on parental rights that inadvertently leads to bans on books and sports participation.
When asked how her previous votes align with her current campaign, Garriott’s campaign did not clarify. However, a spokesperson asserted her commitment to children’s safety, stating, “Sarah doesn’t want men in the girls’ locker room.”
Nonetheless, some Republican strategists view her attempts to shift her stance skeptically. An RNC spokesman remarked that her prior record of “woke rhetoric” makes her unelectable in Iowa.
Garriott is gearing up for a challenging election against Nunn, who won reelection in 2024 with a narrow margin. The general election will take place on November 3rd.
