Vulnerable Democrats flip on women's sports vote after opposing similar bills as midterms loom

By Fox News · Fox News

Several vulnerable House Democrats are breaking with their party on men competing in women’s sports as Republicans continue to hammer the issue ahead of November's midterm elections. Reps. Shomari Figures and Terri Sewell, D-Ala., joined Republicans in voting for an amendment to the annual defense policy bill Tuesday that would bar biological males from participating in women’s sports in Department of War-run schools. The vote marked a notable shift for both Alabama Democrats, who opposed similar legislation as recently as last year, and comes as Republicans’ redistricting efforts have scrambled their re-election prospects. Figures now represents one of the GOP's top pickup opportunities after Alabama's newly drawn congressional map added more GOP voters to his district, dramatically increasing the difficulty of his re-election bid. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), House Republicans' campaign arm, added the freshman lawmaker to its target list last week. BLOCKBUSTER SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS RULING IGNITES REDISTRICTING WAR ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES Sewell’s Black-majority seat anchored around Birmingham remained largely unchanged, though she also bucked Democratic leadership on the amendment. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and 202 other Democrats voted against the measure. All Republicans present voted in support. Both lawmakers voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in 2025, which barred federally funded schools from allowing biological males to participate in girls' and women’s sports. The reversal comes as transgender issues continue to divide Democrats, with public polling showing 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. Roughly seven in ten Democrats or Democrat-leaning respondents agreed, according to the survey. DEMOCRATS STAY QUIET ON…