Riley Gaines endorses Ken Paxton for Senate, cites fight to protect women’s sports
Riley Gaines, a campaigner for female-only sports categories, has endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his US Senate race against Democratic state representative James Talarico. Gaines cited Paxton’s record on transgender participation in women’s sport and transition-related healthcare for minors, while criticising Talarico’s past opposition to Texas school-sports legislation. The endorsement highlights how transgender rights and women’s sport are likely to feature prominently in the contest.
Paxton sued the NCAA in December 2024 over its then-policy on transgender athletes; the NCAA subsequently restricted women’s competition to athletes recorded female at birth in February 2025. Talarico has said transgender people deserve dignity and equality, has opposed gender-reassignment surgery for minors, and says Republican attacks misrepresent his views; PolitiFact found advertisements claiming he supported such surgeries inaccurate. Paxton won the Republican runoff in May and Talarico won the Democratic primary, with the general election scheduled for 3 November.
- Gaines backs Paxton over his stance on women’s sport and minors’ healthcare.
- Paxton and Talarico differ sharply on transgender-related policy.
- Their Senate race is scheduled for 3 November.
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Ken Paxton is Texas’s attorney general, the state’s chief legal officer, and James Talarico is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives. They are competing for a seat in the US Senate, which represents Texas in the federal government.
Debates over transgender people’s rights include whether transgender women and girls can compete in women’s sports, and what healthcare should be available to young people. Texas has passed laws on school sports and healthcare for minors, and Paxton has challenged sports policies in court.
Riley Gaines is a former swimmer who campaigns for women’s sports categories to be limited to athletes recorded female at birth. Her endorsement brings these issues into focus in a race between candidates with different public records and statements on transgender rights.
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The case for
Supporters of Paxton’s position argue that women’s sports categories exist to protect fair competition and opportunities for female athletes, and that eligibility rules should take account of sex-linked physical advantages. They see his legal action and opposition to transition-related medical care for minors as defending those interests and setting cautious limits where evidence and long-term effects remain contested.
The case against
Supporters of Talarico’s approach argue that transgender people should be treated with dignity and included in public life, while policy should avoid broad exclusions that can stigmatise young people. They can support safeguards around medical care for minors while opposing legislation they see as unnecessarily restrictive, and argue that political claims about Talarico’s views should reflect his stated positions rather than misleading advertisements.