Kyle Davis, a Salem city councilor who protested Moulton's remarks on Friday outside his district office in Salem, said on X that he is "not looking for an apology" but a "resignation."
Meanwhile, state Representative Manny Cruz said on X late Friday that he remains "deeply disappointed in my Congressman who has been doubling down on his transphobic views." Cruz, a Salem Democrat, noted that Moulton was among the first people to sign his name to a statement of support for LGBTQ+ inclusion after an "LGBTQ+ member of our community was the victim of a horrific hate crime."
"Now, on a political whim, our Congressman has betrayed the words he signed onto just last year by scapegoating transgender youth in sports for the failures of the national Democratic party and leaders to win the presidential election," Cruz said. "Now you are the first to abandon the LGBTQ+ community."
Cruz said Moulton's statements "are a large part of the reason Democrats underperformed across the country," adding that "this type of hypocrisy" has caused people to "believe that our party is untrustworthy."
"Your blind spots and hypocrisy are glaring. @sethmoulton cannot see the harm your doubling down is doing to our neighbors. You should apologize and tell us your plans to protect vulnerable populations," Cruz said.
Cruz had previously called Moulton's comments attributing identity politics to the reason why Democrats lost the election "off base." He is a member of the city's School Committee, which issued a joint email with Mayor Dominick Pangallo to residents saying that Moulton's comments were not reflective of their values.
On Friday evening, state Senator Jamie Eldridge, who represents the Middlesex and Worcester District, also added his voice to the chorus of Democrats speaking out against Moulton, saying on X that he condemns his "comments on transgender athletes" and that Massachusetts Democrats "do not abandon our values."
Matt Chilliak, top aide and campaign manager for Moulton, as well as the director of his "Serve America" political committee, stepped down on Friday, but declined to say why.
Moulton's press office did not immediately return the Globe's requests for comment. On Friday evening, Moulton said in a statement that he stands "firmly in my belief" for limits on transgender participation in competitive women's sports but still supports the rights of transgender people, which has long been a hot-button issue nationwide.
"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," he said. "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."
Moulton's controversial comments arrived as Democrats around the country try to understand where their nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the party writ large went wrong this election cycle, with many taking turns pointing fingers. Harris's allies blamed President Biden for staying in the race too long before dropping out and spoke about misinformation spreading on social media platforms. Some, like Moulton, blamed the party's emphasis on identity politics at the expense of the economy and immigration, issues that working-class voters often named as their top concerns.
The additional comments from Moulton, who briefly sought the party's presidential nomination in 2020, generated further outcry.
In the late days of Trump's campaign, Republicans spent heavily on ads attacking transgender rights and Harris for her previous statements supporting gender-affirming care for prison inmates.
The Massachusetts Democratic Party said Moulton's comments "do not represent the broad view of our party." Chairman Steve Kerrigan said the party is "proud to stand with the LGTBQ+ community, especially our transgender friends, neighbors, and loved ones across the Commonwealth."
The state Republican Party, however, applauded Moulton on Friday.
"The backlash against Congressman Moulton for making this statement is one reason why Democrats suffered significant losses across the country this election cycle," party Chair Amy Carnevale said.
While Moulton is not the only Democrat to call for a reckoning following election losses -- Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats, called out identity politics when he said Wednesday that the party "abandoned working-class people" -- some felt Moulton's comments were mean-spirited and unnecessary.
His comments drew strong rebukes from the LGTBQ+ community in Massachusetts, who have been outspoken in recent days after Trump, who had made attacking transgender Americans central to his campaign, won a second term in the White House on Tuesday.