By Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya formally entered the race Tuesday for Minnesota’s open U.S. Senate seat, launching a Republican bid that blends cultural grievance, law-and-order rhetoric, and a direct challenge to the state’s Democratic leadership.
Tafoya, who spent decades covering professional football for NBC, ABC, and ESPN, retired from sports broadcasting in 2022 following her final assignment at Super Bowl LVI. Since then, she has reinvented herself as a conservative commentator, hosting a political podcast that frequently trains its focus on Minnesota politics.
In her campaign launch video, Tafoya took aim at Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, citing a major fraud scandal, and criticized Rep. Ilhan Omar over her views on policing. She also addressed transgender participation in youth sports, framing the issue as driven by what she called a “radical ideology.”
For years, I walked the sidelines when the stakes were the highest, and that job taught me how leadership really works.
I’m running for U.S. Senate to bring that experience to Washington and deliver the real results Minnesota deserves. pic.twitter.com/vDbHWpAXg9
— Michele Tafoya (@Michele_Tafoya) January 21, 2026
“As Minnesota’s senator, I will clean up the system, fighting corruption, ending the fraud and protecting your tax dollars,” Tafoya said. “I will protect what’s fair and safe, standing with our law enforcement officers, deporting dangerous criminals, and keeping female sports for female athletes.”
The video also referenced unrest in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer earlier this month, which sparked protests amid intensified national immigration enforcement. “The pressure is mounting again,” Tafoya said as images of chaotic demonstrations flashed onscreen, “and the stakes could not be higher.”
Tafoya is seeking to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith, in a seat Democrats have held for years. Minnesota has not elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 2002, but GOP strategists view the 2026 race as increasingly competitive following President Trump’s narrow margins in the state in recent elections.
The Republican primary field is already crowded, writes The Washington Post. It includes former Minnesota Republican Party chair and state Sen. David Hann, who declared his candidacy in December; Royce White, who challenged Sen. Amy Klobuchar in 2024; and retired Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze, among others.
On the Democratic side, Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan have both entered the race, setting up what party leaders expect to be a competitive intraparty contest.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has already flagged Minnesota as a 2026 target. Sen. Tim Scott, who chairs the NRSC, signaled optimism in a December interview, pointing to Minnesota’s close recent presidential results and the emergence of what he described as strong GOP contenders.
Democrats were quick to respond to Tafoya’s entry. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokeswoman Maeve Coyle said Tafoya had a “history of far-right positions that are out of step with Minnesotans,” adding that “voters will hold her accountable for her support for the Trump administration’s affordability crisis and efforts to gut health care.”
Originally from California, Tafoya has described a gradual political evolution. In a 2015 Sports Illustrated profile, she characterized herself as “a pro-choice conservative” with libertarian leanings. Her political views gained national attention during appearances on The View in 2021, where she criticized vaccine mandates, critical race theory, and Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protests.
After leaving NBC Sports, Tafoya became a frequent guest on programs hosted by Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson. In a 2022 interview with Carlson, she explained her turn toward political activism: “I’ve been waking up every day with a palpable pull at my gut that my side, my view, my middle-ground-kind-of-moderate-viewpoint is not being represented to the rest of the world. So rather than, you know, just banging it out on Twitter or Instagram every day, I thought, I’ve got to do something. I have benefited greatly from the American dream, and I feel like, for the sake of my kids, and because I so love this country, I’ve got to start giving back.”
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