Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, who gained national attention after publicly opposing trans woman Lia Thomas competing in college athletic events, has thrown her support behind Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jared Hudson.

“Hi, it’s Riley Gaines,” reads a recent campaign donation site set up by Hudson.

“You may know me for standing up to protect women’s sports. I didn’t do that because it was easy, I did it because it was right.”

“I’m using my voice again today to ask you to support someone who has always chosen what’s right, even when it meant risking everything,” Gaines continued.

Hudson, a former Navy SEAL who founded an organization to fight human trafficking, announced he would run for Tommy Tuberville’s seat in May after the senator announced he is running for governor next year.

Hudson was the first announced candidate for the Republican primary and has promised to be “a warrior for President Trump’s America First Agenda.”

“We need bold conservatives in the Senate who will fight for truth, protect women and girls, and defend the country we love,” Gaines wrote.

“No matter where you live, this fight affects you. Let’s send a warrior to Washington.”

Hudson, who lives in Birmingham with his wife and three children, ran for sheriff of Jefferson County in 2022, losing to Sheriff Mark Pettway.

In his first run for office Hudson received 48% of the vote.

He served as a SEAL operator with Naval Special Warfare and was deployed multiple times to combat zones including Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Foal Eagle.

He also served one year as a deputy with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and worked as a reserve deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

Hudson was the second candidate to enter the race, following Kyle Sweetser of Mobile, who announced in April that he would seek the Democratic nomination.

Sweetser is businessman and former two-time Donald Trump voter who bashed the president at last year’s Democratic National Convention.

Attorney General Steve Marshall is running for the Senate and other potential Republican candidates include former Congressman Mo Brooks, U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, former Secretary of State John Merrill, and former Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Kent Davis.