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Riley Gaines, a prominent advocate for women’s athletics, announced her support for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s U.S. Senate campaign, emphasizing his track record on protecting female-only sports divisions and opposing certain medical treatments for minors. Gaines released a statement praising Paxton as a “relentless fighter for the protection of children” and contrasting his record with that of his Democratic opponent, state Rep. James Talarico. The endorsement underscores a central fault line in the race between the two candidates on transgender-related policy issues.
Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer, gained national prominence after she tied transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the 200-yard freestyle during the 2022 NCAA Division I championships, an event that catapulted her into the forefront of debates over athletic inclusion. She highlighted Paxton’s December 2024 lawsuit against the NCAA, which accused the organization of violating Texas consumer protection law by marketing women’s competitions while permitting transgender athletes to compete. The NCAA subsequently revised its eligibility policy in February 2025 to restrict women’s athletic competition to those designated female at birth.
Paxton has also pursued legal action against medical professionals he contends violated a Texas statute limiting gender-transition treatments available to minors. Gaines characterized Talarico as opposing measures requiring public school athletes to compete according to their biological sex, describing him as unwilling to “accept biological reality” and willing to compromise women’s safety and privacy.
Talarico opposed the school sports legislation that ultimately became law, arguing during 2021 debate that biological sex operates along a spectrum and advocating for the dignity of transgender youth. His campaign maintains that Republican attacks misrepresent his position, noting his stated opposition to gender-reassignment surgery for minors, though independent fact-checking has found some political advertisements concerning this issue to be inaccurate.
Paxton secured the Republican nomination after defeating longtime Sen. John Cornyn in a May runoff, while Talarico won the Democratic primary against Rep. Jasmine Crockett. The November 3 general election has emerged as one of the nation’s most hotly contested Senate races.
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