Where top Democrat Senate candidates and their GOP opponents stand on trans athletes in women's sports

Democrats are heading into the 2026 midterms confronting a debate that has divided their party and repeatedly put candidates on the defensive: transgender athletes competing in girls’ and women’s sports.

Some candidates now oppose that participation, while others defend decisions by sports organizations — approaches that have exposed disagreements over policy and campaign strategy.

Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico voted against House Bill 25 in 2021, which required public-school athletes to compete based on the sex recorded on their birth certificates at or near birth.

The measure became law despite Democratic opposition.

During a September Fox News interview, Talarico said he would oppose transgender athletes competing in girls’ sports when participation threatened safety or fairness.

He defended his earlier opposition to restrictions as a response to overly broad legislation, saying he favored allowing local communities to make eligibility decisions.

"As a former public school teacher, James cares about our student athletes — that’s why throughout his career he has opposed trans athletes playing girls’ sports when it jeopardizes safety or fairness," campaign spokesperson JT Ennis told OutKick on Tuesday.

"At the same time, he’ll always stand against discrimination, especially when the most powerful politicians in the country bully students to score political points, because his faith teaches him that every child is made in the image of God." Talarico's campaign has not responded to questions on whether he would vote in favor of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.

Talarico’s Republican opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, has pursued legal action to exclude transgender athletes from women’s competition.

In December 2024, he sued the NCAA, alleging that marketing competitions as women’s events while permitting athletes of the male sex violated Texas consumer-protection law.

Paxton sought an injunction barring their participation in women’s events in Texas or involving Texas teams, or requiring the NCAA to stop marketing those competitions as women’s sports.

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed has previously advocated for transgender students’ access to sports teams matching their gender identity.

During his 2018 gubernatorial campaign, he told Pride Source that state-level efforts should protect young people’s access to bathrooms, locker rooms and "sports teams of choice," arguing that exclusion could worsen bullying and mental-health problems.

"To me, I think it's really important for us to fight at the state level to protect access to bathrooms, to locker rooms, to sports teams of choice for young people," he said.