Riley Gaines Dives In: Endorses Marsha Blackburn for Governor

          Riley Gaines is trading the pool for politics. The former University of Kentucky swimmer has officially endorsed Senator Marsha Blackburn in her 2026 run for governor of Tennessee. On Friday, the 25 year old Nashville native shared a photo with Sen. Blackburn with the caption “Excited for @MarshaBlackburn to kickoff her campaign for TN Governor. She makes me proud to be a Tennessean 🇺🇸”

This isn’t just a one-off shoutout, either. Gaines, a 12-time NCAA All-American turned high-profile conservative activist, has also backed Blackburn’s push for policies like “American Girls in Sports Day,” which the Senator introduced earlier this year. That effort has attracted national attention and support from names like Caitlyn Jenner and former Levi’s exec Jennifer Sey. 

In recent years, Gaines was vocal in her opposition to biological men’s participation in women’s athletics. She emphasized Blackburn’s commitment to standing up for what she deemed fairness and safety in women’s sports back: “In Tennessee, we know the difference between a man and a woman… No one fights harder to protect us,” she stated. “Marsha Blackburn will always stand for strong women because she’s one of us.” Blackburn’s campaign was quick to repost the message across its social platforms, highlighting Gaines’s support as a rallying point for the younger generation. 

The endorsement is another signal of how Blackburn plans to shape the Republican primary: by leaning hard into cultural issues that fire up the conservative base. And with Riley Gaines firmly in her corner, Blackburn gets not just a high-profile athlete, but a recognizable face in one of the country’s most contentious debates.