Several vulnerable House Democrats are breaking with their party on the issue of men competing in women's sports, as Republicans intensify their focus on the topic ahead of the November midterm elections. Representatives Shomari Figures and Terri Sewell, both Democrats from Alabama, joined Republicans in voting for an amendment to the annual defense policy bill that would prohibit biological males from participating in women's sports in schools operated by the Department of Defense. The vote marked a notable shift for both lawmakers, who opposed similar legislation as recently as last year.
The amendment, sponsored by Representative Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina, was attached to the National Defense Authorization Act. It specifically targets sports programs in schools run by the Department of Defense, which serves military families. Mace argued that the measure is necessary to protect women's sports, stating, «Men are not women. Men will never become women. Yet male athletes are stealing medals, invading locker rooms, and putting girls in the hospital, all in the name of gender ideology.»
Figures and Sewell were among a handful of Democrats who crossed party lines on the vote. Others included Representatives Don Davis of North Carolina, and Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez of Texas. All three are considered vulnerable to Republican challengers and have a history of occasionally supporting Republican-authored bills. Davis had previously voted «present» on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in 2025, which would have barred federally funded schools from allowing biological males to participate in girls' and women's sports.
The reversal by Figures and Sewell comes as the political landscape shifts in Alabama. Figures now represents a district that was redrawn after a Supreme Court ruling on voting rights, adding more Republican voters and making his re-election significantly more challenging. The National Republican Congressional Committee, the House Republicans' campaign arm, added Figures to its target list last week. Sewell's district, anchored around Birmingham, remained largely unchanged, but she also chose to break with Democratic leadership on the amendment.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York, and 202 other Democrats voted against the Mace amendment. All Republicans present voted in support. The vote highlights a deepening divide within the Democratic Party on transgender issues, as public opinion polls show broad opposition to transgender athletes competing in women's sports. A New York Times/Ipsos poll conducted in 2025 found that nearly 80% of Americans opposed biological males competing in women's sports, including roughly seven in ten Democrats or Democrat-leaning respondents.
Republicans were quick to criticize the Alabama Democrats' votes, suggesting the move was driven by political necessity rather than a genuine change in position. NRCC spokesman Reilly Richardson said, «Out of touch Democrats Shomari Figures and Terri Sewell are desperately trying to hide their far-left views now that it's politically expedient, but it's too little too late. Alabamians know Figures and Sewell support Democrats' radical agenda of allowing men to compete in women's sports and will hold them accountable at the ballot box in November.»
Figures defended his vote, arguing that his position on transgender participation in women's sports has been consistent. He pointed to his support for a 2025 amendment vote restricting transgender athletes. In a statement, Figures said, «As I have said before, I do not believe that men should be allowed to participate in women's sports. I voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act because that bill would have created an open season for pedophiles to conduct sex checks of young girls, with no safeguards.» Proponents of the legislation disputed during floor debate that the measure would put girls at risk.
The issue of transgender athletes in women's sports has become a prominent political battleground, with Republicans using it to mobilize voters and Democrats grappling with internal divisions. The Mace amendment is the latest in a series of legislative efforts at the federal and state levels to restrict transgender participation in sports. As the midterm elections approach, the votes of vulnerable Democrats on this issue are likely to be closely scrutinized by both parties.
