As the 2026 midterm campaign heats up, Senate candidates across the nation are forced to clarify their stance on a contentious cultural issue: whether athletes who have undergone pediatric gender treatments should be allowed to compete in girls’ and women’s sports. The positions of the leading Democratic nominees and their Republican challengers reveal a clear partisan divide.

Texas

Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico voted against House Bill 25 in 2021, a measure that required public‑school athletes to compete based on the sex recorded on their birth certificates. In a September interview with Fox News, Talarico said he would oppose athletes who have undergone pediatric gender treatments competing in girls’ sports when safety or fairness is at risk. He framed his earlier vote as a response to overly broad legislation and emphasized the importance of local community decision‑making.

Republican opponent Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General, has taken legal action to keep athletes of the male sex out of women’s competition. In December 2024 he sued the NCAA, alleging that marketing events as women’s sports while permitting such athletes violated Texas consumer‑protection law. Paxton seeks an injunction to bar their participation in Texas‑based events.

Michigan

Democratic nominee Abdul El‑Sayed has historically advocated for access to sports teams that align with a student’s gender identity. During his 2018 gubernatorial run he argued that denying bathroom, locker‑room and team access could increase bullying and harm mental health. When asked in August 2026 how eligibility should be decided, El‑Sayed said it should be left to the governing bodies of each sport, without specifying any particular restriction.

His Republican challenger, former Rep. Mike Rogers, signed the Independent Women’s Voice “Stand With Women” commitment, pledging to support legislation that preserves opportunities for biological females. Rogers stated, “Biological men should not be competing with our daughters, period.”

North Carolina

Democratic Senate nominee Roy Cooper vetoed the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act as governor in July 2023. The bill defined sex by reproductive biology and genetics at birth and barred athletes of the male sex from competing on girls’ and women’s teams. Cooper warned against inflaming culture wars over a small number of vulnerable children, noting that existing systems already rely on parents, schools and sports organizations. The state’s GOP supermajority overrode his veto.

Former RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, Cooper’s Republican opponent, praised the legislation and accused Cooper of prioritizing transgender participation over protections for female athletes.

Georgia

Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in March 2025, calling the bill an overreach. He argued that school districts and athletic associations could ensure safe, fair competition without federal intrusion into children’s bodies. In March 2026 he also voted against a related amendment to the SAVE America Act.

Republican challenger Mike Collins voted for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act when it passed the House in January 2025 and has highlighted his opposition to athletes of the male sex competing in women’s sports throughout his campaign.

Minnesota

Democratic nominee Peggy Flanagan supports the Transgender Bill of Rights, a non‑binding resolution calling for federal protections against gender‑identity discrimination in schools, including athletics and facilities. She received an endorsement from the Christopher Street Project and told The Advocate that Democrats should defend communities under attack.

Her Republican opponent, former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, has made restricting male athletes from women’s sports a campaign priority, promising to “keep men out of women’s sports and locker rooms.” She also criticized the WNBA’s handling of the debate.

Maine

Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson voted in June 2023 to reject a bill that would have limited girls’ secondary‑school sports teams to students of the female sex. While he answered “No” to a 2026 questionnaire that combined a transgender sports ban with other human‑rights changes, his exact voting plan on future federal restrictions remains unclear.

Overall, Democratic candidates tend to emphasize local decision‑making and the protection of transgender youth, whereas Republican challengers uniformly back legislation that restricts athletes of the male sex from competing with biological females.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.