Riley Gaines touts Marsha Blackburn as 'fearless advocate for female athletes' in GOP senator's campaign ad

EXCLUSIVE: Riley Gaines expressed her support for Tennessee GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s re-election bid on Wednesday and appeared in a new campaign ad touting the lawmaker’s stance on women’s sports.

Gaines has been the leader in the movement to protect women’s sports since she competed against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the NCAA Championships in 2022. The former Kentucky Wildcats swimming star, who hosts OutKick's "Gaines for Girls" podcast, has been to Capitol Hill and college campuses to spread her message.

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Riley Gaines (Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK/File)

"In Tennessee, we know the difference between a man and a woman, and we know that men do not belong in women’s sports," Gaines said in a news release obtained by Fox News Digital. 

"As a fearless advocate for female athletes, Senator Blackburn will continue to ensure they are recognized for their accomplishments and protected from the left’s woke identity crisis. I’m on Team Marsha because future generations of girls depend on us to preserve the equality that generations before us fought so hard to achieve."

In the advertisement, first seen by Fox News Digital, Gaines supports Blackburn in the fight to protect women’s spaces against "woke politics."

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin/File)

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"I trained my entire life to be the best," Gaines says in the clip. "I was one of the fastest women in the entire country. But woke politics made me swim against a man, sharing the pool and the locker room. That’s not just dangerous; it’s degrading. 

"Thank God for Marsha Blackburn. No one fights harder to protect us. Marsha Blackburn will always stand for strong women because she’s one of us."

Gaines told Fox News Digital in a separate statement that Blackburn's political ferocity made her proud to live in Tennessee.

"Senator Blackburn has been a fierce defender of common sense, traditional values, and women," Gaines said. "Few are as morally sound and unapologetic as she is. She makes me proud to be a Tennessean."

Blackburn is so far running against Tres Wittum in the Republican primary, which takes place on Aug 1.

Democrat primary candidates include Marquita Bradshaw, Lola Brown, Gloria Johnson and Civil Miller-Watkins.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images/File)

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Blackburn ran for Bob Corker’s seat in 2018 and defeated Phil Bresden, receiving 54.7% of the vote.

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