Allison Montgomery Makes History as Alabama's First Transgender State Legislator

Allison Montgomery Makes History as Alabama’s First Transgender State Legislator

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Democrat Allison Montgomery won Alabama House District 25 with 53.2 percent of the vote. That is the share of the vote Democrat Allison Montgomery captured in Alabama House District 25 on Tuesday night, defeating Republican incumbent Phillip Rigsby 53.2 to 46.7 percent—12,456 votes to 10,929, a margin of roughly 1,527—and flipping the seat to make her the state’s first transgender legislator, the Associated Press reported.

The result, called with over 95 percent of the estimated vote counted, represents more than a single seat change. It marks the first time an openly transgender candidate has won state legislative office in Alabama, a state that has recently enacted laws restricting transgender rights, including a 2025 measure defining people as male or female according to biological sex and new library rules targeting books that “positively depict” transgender subjects. Montgomery’s victory came in a district covering the west side of Huntsville that had been rated Trump+5, making the Democratic pickup part of a broader shift in North Alabama.

Three Seats Flip in a North Alabama Blue Wave

According to AL.com, Montgomery’s win was one of three Northern Alabama seats that flipped to Democrats in Tuesday’s elections, a result local observers described as a blue wave in the region. The Associated Press called the race in House District 25 after Montgomery built a lead that held steady as votes were counted.

Montgomery first secured the Democratic nomination in the 2026 primary, defeating Damon Eubanks. She then took her campaign directly to voters in a district with a history of Republican representation, focusing on local economic concerns rather than allowing the race to revolve around her identity.

Identity Attacks Met with a Policy-First Response

The campaign grew heated in October when Republican lawmakers targeted Montgomery over her transgender identity. Scott Stadthagen, chair of the Alabama Republican Party, attacked her during a speech leading up to the midterms. In a Facebook post, Montgomery wrote, “I don’t know Stadthagen and he doesn’t know me – this is just plain prejudice… They brought up my womanhood because they have failed at governing.”

Rigsby also raised concerns about her identity at the Madison County Republican Party’s annual barbecue, saying her trans identity changed “everything” by bringing “fourth-grade students” visiting her office into the equation. Montgomery hit back by citing the arrest of Republican State Rep. Brett Easterbrook, who was charged with first-degree human trafficking—later amended to attempted first-degree human trafficking—after being 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 wrote on Facebook, according to the Alabama Reporter.

Throughout the campaign, Montgomery maintained that transphobia was a distraction from the issues voters cared about. “When I’m knocking doors and talking with voters, they don’t care that I’m trans, and that’s not what I’m focused on either,” she told AL.com.

From Redstone Arsenal to the State House

Montgomery is a Huntsville native who attended Bob Jones High School before graduating from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a degree in computer engineering. She works as a software engineer supporting Redstone Arsenal, a major U.S. Army installation near Huntsville, India Times reported. She describes herself as a proud Eagle Scout, a practicing Christian, and an aunt to five nieces and nephews, several of whom attend or are preparing to attend Madison City Schools.

Her political involvement deepened in 2023 when she joined the Alabama Transgender Rights Action Coalition (ALTRAC). There, she worked on analyzing legislation, organizing community members, and speaking against bills she believed targeted transgender people, including measures that would prevent transgender people from using single-sex toilets aligning with their gender identity and legislation concerning sex definitions. Her advocacy was driven by concerns about access to healthcare and the criminalization of everyday activities for transgender Alabamians.

Allison Montgomery Makes History as Alabama's First Transgender State Legislator
Photo: attitude.co.uk

A Victory Built on Affordability

Montgomery’s platform prioritized economic issues: expanding Medicaid, improving public education, raising workers’ wages, strengthening workplace protections, and tackling the cost of living by making housing and groceries more affordable. She also pledged to reduce corporate influence in politics and protect patients’ access to healthcare.

After the election was called, Montgomery took to social media to frame her win as a referendum on grassroots organizing rather than identity. “I know the headlines tomorrow are gonna be provocative and catchy, but let’s focus on the most important part of this victory: we showed that a truly grassroots campaign that stands on its policies and its principles has a real shot in Alabama,” she wrote, according to Attitude. “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.”

She said she plans to take a couple of weeks’ rest before working with the community to determine how best to serve them. “So we’re going to have to come together and work collectively for our common good,” she wrote. Addressing her critics directly, she added, “I’m going to work especially hard for those who hate me, because they deserve a better Alabama as much as anyone. And if you don’t believe me– just watch :)”

Looking beyond her own district, Montgomery told supporters, “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.”

More on Democrat Allison Montgomery

Allison Montgomery makes history! #usmidterms2026 #alabama #lgbtqia #uspolitics #ushistory #usanews
Trans woman Allison Montgomery wins Alabama House District 25! #midterms2026 #jubilee

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