Allison Montgomery has become Alabama’s first transgender state legislator after defeating incumbent Phillip Rigsby in the 2026 US elections.

The won the state’s House District 25 race with 53.2 per cent of the vote, compared with 46.7 per cent for Rigsby, whom she ousted.

Taking to to mark her victory, Montgomery said she wanted to look beyond the headlines and focus “on the most important part of this victory”.

Allison Montgomery celebrates midterm victory

“We showed that a truly grassroots campaign that stands on its policies and its principles has a real shot in Alabama. We the people are tired of attempts to distract us with culture war issues, whether we’re in a minority group or not. We the people know corporate interests use these issues to pit us against one another while they pick our pockets.

“I’m going to work especially hard for those who hate me, because they deserve a better Alabama as much as anyone,” she explained.

“For anyone who wants to give this state the future it deserves: you are not merely in this fight until someone from the party you like becomes governor or president. You are not merely in this fight until the next election cycle. You are in this fight because greed is our true enemy, not one single candidate or party. And you are not in this fight alone.”

Montgomery plans to work with the community

She thanked her colleagues and supporters for backing her campaign, writing: “I continue to be so proud of all y’all and what we were able to build from scratch. And I’ve even managed to be proud of myself, through y’all’s love and encouragement.”

After taking a couple of weeks’ rest, Montgomery says she plans to work with the community to find out how she can best serve them as their new representative.

“So we’re going to have to come together and work collectively for our common good.”

Montgomery hits back at Phillip Rigsby

Her win comes after Republican opponent Rigsby previously “attacked” her trans identity at the Madison County Republican Party’s annual barbecue in October, saying her trans identity changed “everything” by bringing “fourth-grade students” visiting her office into the equation.

Montgomery questioned Rigsby’s concerns about children visiting a transgender lawmaker’s office, hitting back by citing Republican Representative Brett Easterbrook’s arrest after he was accused of offering $500 for sex with a minor.

“Republican politicians always point to vague concerns about ‘the children’ when talking about women like myself, while Republican Rep. Brett Easterbrook gets arrested for soliciting sex with a minor,” she said, according to the .

Her stances

As part of her campaign, Montgomery pledged to expand Medicaid, improve public education, raise workers’ wages and strengthen workplace protections.

Montgomery has been involved in the Alabama Trans Rights Action Coalition (ALTRAC) since 2023 and has campaigned against legislation restricting transgender people’s rights.

She has backed gender-affirming healthcare, opposed Alabama’s 2025 legislation defining people as male or female according to biological sex, and challenged measures that would prevent transgender people from using single-sex toilets that align with their gender identity.