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A Washington state Democrat hoping to unseat a longtime member of Congress is facing a revolt from within her own party, after reportedly saying she left LGBTQ+ rights off her campaign website because she feared alienating Muslim voters.
Seattle Red first reported that Democrat organizations were reconsidering their endorsements of Melissa Chaudhry, a progressive Democrat challenging longtime Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., in Washington’s 9th Congressional District, after comments she made during an endorsement interview with The Stranger.
When asked why her website did not mention LGBTQ+ issues, Chaudhry replied, “because a lot of Muslims do not feel that way, unfortunately,” according to The Stranger.
The comments quickly sparked backlash from Democrat LGBTQ+ activists, with the Washington State Stonewall Democrats urging organizations to reconsider and rescind their endorsements of Chaudhry.
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Washington state Democrat congressional candidate Melissa Chaudhry smiles alongside her husband during a campaign event. (Vote Melissa 4 Congress Facebook page)
“Her comments are disqualifying because they reveal a deliberate choice to hide her positions on LGBTQ+ rights while actively seeking Democratic endorsements,” Washington State Stonewall Democrats chair Andrew Ashiofu told Fox News Digital.
“Anyone running as a Democrat should be bold enough to stand with our community. When a candidate chooses concealment instead of clarity, it raises serious concerns about honesty, integrity, and alignment with core Democratic values,” he added.
Ashiofu said the organization is urging groups to revisit their endorsements because “transparency and trust are foundational to the Democratic endorsement process.”
“When a candidate admits to hiding key civil-rights positions or tailoring their message to avoid acknowledging LGBTQ+ people, that undermines the integrity of every organization that endorsed her in good faith,” he said. “Democratic groups deserve full honesty from candidates, and we believe her comments warrant a reevaluation of any support she has received.”
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The Greater Seattle Business Association marches during the Seattle Pride Parade last month in Seattle. (Lindsey Wasson/AP Photo)
The Washington State Stonewall Democrats specifically called on organizations that have endorsed Chaudhry, including the 11th, 33rd, 37th and 43rd District Democrats, to reconsider their support.
Ashiofu also told Fox News Digital that neither Chaudhry nor her campaign has contacted the organization since the controversy became public.
“Our position is straightforward: LGBTQ+ rights are not optional within the Democratic Party. They are foundational,” he said.
“Candidates seeking Democratic support must be willing to champion our community openly, consistently, and without hesitation,” Ashiofu continued. “When a candidate admits to hiding their stance or misleading voters and endorsing bodies, that is a breach of trust. Democratic organizations should hold candidates to the highest standards of transparency and integrity because our community deserves nothing less.”
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Melissa Chaudhry, a U.S. Congressional candidate, and her husband, retired U.S. Army mental health specialist Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry, attend a memorial as hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in Washington, Sept. 8, 2024. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images, File)
The controversy expanded beyond LGBTQ+ issues after The Stranger also reported that Chaudhry said she intended to run as a Democrat before switching to the Green Party if elected to Congress.
The outlet also reported that she asked the information not be made public during the endorsement process.
That revelation prompted additional concern among local Democrat leaders.
According to The Stranger, members of the 33rd District Democrats have discussed changing their bylaws because current rules do not allow an endorsement to be rescinded once it has been awarded.
Conservative radio host and Seattle commentator Jason Rantz, who first reported the controversy for Seattle Red, said the dispute underscores competing priorities within the Democratic coalition.
“Democrats built their coalition on the promise that every marginalized identity group wins simultaneously, and Melissa Chaudhry just proved the pandering doesn’t always work,” Rantz told Fox News Digital.
“When intersectionality forces progressives to rank Muslim voters against LGBTQ activists, somebody gets thrown overboard. Now the same party that preaches inclusion is rewriting its own bylaws to purge one of its own, because in the so-called oppression Olympics, there’s always a loser on the podium.”
Chaudhry pushed back on the criticism in a post on X, insisting she has supported LGBTQ+ rights throughout her life.
“For the record: I’ve supported full equality for LGBTQ+ people my entire life — not since this campaign started. My entire life,” she wrote.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., speaks during a news conference in Washington. D.C. (Johannes Neudecker/Picture Alliance via Getty Images, File)
Chaudhry said her only sibling is LGBTQIA+, that she helped found her high school’s Gay Straight Alliance “back when we had to keep the meeting location secret for our own safety,” and that one of her closest friends is “a disabled lesbian woman raising her family against immense stigma.”
“This is not a talking point for me. It is the fabric of my life,” she wrote.
Chaudhry also accused the media of misrepresenting her remarks, writing, “The media that ignored three years of rape and death threats against a federal candidate is now running with a lie. I’m setting the record straight — in my own voice.”
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She also has said the atmosphere during the endorsement interview contributed to her remarks, describing the meeting as hostile, according to The Stranger.
Smith, who has represented Washington’s 9th Congressional District since 1997, faces multiple challengers in the Democratic primary, including Chaudhry.
Chaudhry’s campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
