Reps. Shomari Figures and Terri Sewell, both Alabama Democrats, joined Republicans on Tuesday in voting for an amendment to the annual defense policy bill that would bar biological males from participating in women's sports at Department of War-run schools.
The vote marked a notable shift for both lawmakers, who opposed similar legislation as recently as last year. Both Figures and Sewell voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in 2025, which would have barred federally funded schools from allowing biological males to compete in girls' and women's sports.
What the Right Is Saying
Republicans sharply criticized the Alabama Democrats' reversals, arguing the moves reflected political necessity rather than genuine shifts in conviction.
"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," NRCC spokesman Reilly Richardson told Fox News Digital. "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."
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who sponsored the amendment, argued the measure was intended to protect women's sports. "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," Mace said during floor debate. "Our NDAA amendment would end this nonsense."
What the Left Is Saying
Figures argued his position on transgender participation in women's sports has been consistent. In a statement to Fox News Digital, he said: "As I have said before, I do not believe that men should be allowed to participate in women's sports." He added that he voted against the 2025 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 such legislation disputed during floor debate that it would put girls at risk.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., joined 202 other Democrats in voting against the Mace amendment. While party leadership did not publicly comment on Figures' or Sewell's individual votes, the broader Democratic caucus remained opposed to the measure.
What the Numbers Show
The vote breakdown on the Mace amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act showed near-total partisan division: All Republicans present voted in favor, while 203 Democrats including House Minority Leader Jeffries voted against.
Transgender issues continue to divide voters broadly. A New York Times/Ipsos poll conducted in 2025 found that nearly 80% of Americans opposed biological males competing in women's sports. Notably, roughly seven in ten Democrats or Democrat-leaning respondents agreed with the majority position, according to the survey.
The political stakes vary between the two Alabama lawmakers. Figures now represents one of the NRCC's top pickup opportunities after Alabama's newly drawn congressional map added more Republican voters to his district. The committee added him to its target list last week. Sewell's Black-majority seat anchored around Birmingham remained largely unchanged by redistricting.
Three additional vulnerable Democrats joined Figures and Sewell in supporting the amendment: Reps. Don Davis, D-N.C., Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas. All three are considered vulnerable to GOP challengers and frequently cross party lines on Republican-authored bills.
The Bottom Line
The votes illustrate how the transgender athletes in sports debate continues to present political complications for Democrats heading into midterm elections. While polling shows broad public opposition to biological males competing in women's sports, including among many Democratic-leaning voters, party leadership has generally opposed such restrictions.
Figures and Sewell now face scrutiny from both directions: Republicans argue their reversals are too late to matter politically, while progressive groups may view the votes as a betrayal of LGBTQ rights. What happens next will likely depend on whether the amendment survives conference negotiations with the Senate version of the defense bill.