The 2026 U.S. midterm elections, held Nov. 3, delivered more than new faces in Congress and statehouses — they sent a wave of former professional athletes into elected office, including a World Series champion from the New York Yankees, a onetime Tennessee Titans linebacker returning to the House, a Paralympic gold medalist headed to the Senate, and a college football coach who traded his Senate seat for a governor’s mansion, as.com reported.
Republican Mark Teixeira, the former Yankees first baseman, won the race for Texas’s 21st Congressional District, defeating Democrat Kristin Hook to take the seat being vacated by Rep. Chip Roy, who chose not to seek reelection. The victory means Teixeira will arrive in Washington a decade after retiring from baseball, where he played 14 MLB seasons and won the 2009 World Series with New York.
Mark Teixeira: From 2009 World Series champion to Congressman
Teixeira was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2001 and debuted in the majors two years later. He also played for the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels before joining the Yankees, with whom he captured the 2009 World Series title. Across his career, the switch-hitting first baseman finished with 409 home runs, 1,298 RBIs, three All-Star selections and five Gold Glove awards. He retired in 2016, and in 2026 he will take his place in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican.
Colin Allred returns to Congress after NFL career
Also in Texas, Democrat Colin Allred, a former linebacker for the Tennessee Titans, won the state’s 33rd District with roughly 80% of the vote against Republican Patrick Gillespie. Allred previously served three consecutive terms in the House before leaving to run for the U.S. Senate in 2024, a race he lost. He played four NFL seasons before entering politics, and his 2026 win sends him back to Washington.
Josh Turek carries Paralympic gold to the U.S. Senate
One of the most significant wins for Paralympic sport came in Iowa, where Democrat Josh Turek defeated Republican Ashley Hinson in the U.S. Senate race. Turek competed in four Paralympic Games with the U.S. wheelchair basketball team, earning bronze at London 2012 and gold medals at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. He was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2022, and his midterm victory moves him from the state legislature to the federal Senate.
Tommy Tuberville swaps the Senate for the Alabama governor’s office
Republican Tommy Tuberville, the former college football coach, won the Alabama governor’s race over Democrat Doug Jones. Before politics, Tuberville spent 21 seasons as a head coach at Auburn, Cincinnati, Texas Tech and Ole Miss, compiling a record of 159 wins and 99 losses. He entered the U.S. Senate in 2021 and will now leave that seat to become governor.
Bobby Pulido, Tejano singer, flips a Texas House seat
Not every winner came from sports. Bobby Pulido, a Latin Grammy-winning Tejano singer known for songs such as “Desvelado,” defeated Republican Monica De la Cruz in Texas’s 15th District, returning the seat to Democratic hands after it had been held by Republicans since 2023. Pulido, running as a Democrat, entered his first political race after decades in music, and The Associated Press called his victory on election night.
Not every athlete candidate prevailed
The election also produced losses for sports-adjacent candidates. Former NFL reporter Michele Tafoya lost the Minnesota Senate race to Peggy Flanagan, and former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe was defeated in a California legislative contest.
What the athlete wave means for 2026 politics
Teixeira and Allred will both represent Texas districts in the House, giving the state two former professional athletes in its delegation, while Turek’s Senate win gives Iowa a Paralympic champion in the upper chamber.
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