'Jeopardy!' Champ Amy Schneider Says GOP Will Work To Make Her Life 'Harder'

Jeopardy! champ Amy Schneider has stated that any Republican voted into office in her home state of Ohio would work to "make life harder for her."

The engineering manager has made history as the first transgender woman to qualify for the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions as she enjoys a phenomenal win streak that has seen her clock up 12 consecutive wins and earn $483,000 to date.

And as her record-breaking run on the show as seen her amass a growing base of fans, Schneider—who is based in Oakland, California—shared her political stance during an exchange on Twitter on Thursday.

The conversation started with Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat who is currently running for U.S. Senate, shared an article about Schneider from the official Jeopardy! website that discussed her success on the show.

He wrote: "In Ohio, we're great at making a lot of things—steel, rubber, glass... and jeopardy champions! Keep climbing @Jeopardamy. We're rooting for you all the way."

Dayton native Schneider responded: "Thanks! To any followers in Ohio, next year remember that, no matter who the Republican candidate is, one of their goals in office will be to make life harder for me personally. Don't give them the chance!"

Schneider's comment drew criticism from a Twitter user, who replied: "That's it, you had to make it political didn't you. You're a good player but I won't watch another episode your [sic] on now. It's a beautiful game show with hell of a history, don't ruin it. That was stupid of you."

Showing she wasn't going to back down, quoted the tweet and added: "To anyone else who feels this way: I would be *delighted* for my existence to not be a political issue. But as the GOP won't give me that option, please direct your complaints to them, thanks!"

Her response attracted more than 4,200 likes and a response from recent Jeopardy! champ Matt Amodio, who is also a native of Ohio.

"Beautifully said! You're always excellent both on the Jeopardy stage and off," wrote Amodio, whose 38-game win streak captivated Jeopardy! fans earlier this year.

With two-term Republican incumbent Rob Portman announcing at the start of this year that he would not be seeking re-election for a third time, a number of GOP candidates are facing off in the party's primary, including Matt Dolan and J.D. Vance.

In an interview with Newsweek shortly after her debut Jeopardy! episode aired in the midst of November's Trans Awareness Week, Schneider discussed the importance of representation.

She said: "I know that in my life, [it's great] to see trans women out there, not being the sort of freaks or prostitutes, or other things that until only a few years ago was all you ever saw them as.

"So as that changed, as I've been able to see them in other contexts—as the human beings that they are—that's been really important for me. And so I'm just really glad to be able to do that same thing for other people."

In a Newsweek essay published days later, Schneider also discussed the reaction she received on Twitter after making her arrival on the long-running syndicated quiz show.

"I have been on Twitter as a trans person for a while, so I know it can be an ugly place at times," she said. "But my experience has not been negative there at all since I have been on Jeopardy!. Almost everyone has been so positive, happy and supportive."