Former NBC football reporter Michele Tafoya said she will “no longer sit on the sidelines” and launched her Republican bid for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota early Wednesday.
Tafoya, a key part of Sunday Night Football as an on-field commentator until 2022, had already tipped her hand by submitting paperwork for a possible run. She made it official in a video (watch it below) that drew on right-wing discussions about trans athletes and the high tension in the state following the killing of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. She also referred to alleged social services fraud in the state that is being investigated by President Donald Trump’s administration. Trump and Co. have used the accusations to attack the Somali community as a whole, after dozens of Somali immigrants were charged in connection with the scandal.
“When leaders are prepared and accountable, teams succeed,” Tafoya, who has hosted a conservative podcast in recent years, said in a video on [Gov.] Tim Walz’s watch, ripping off taxpayers and embarrassing our state. … I see radical ideologies infiltrating our schools and sports, putting young women and their teammates at risk. I see politicians undermining and attacking police officers. … And I see middle-class families paying more as they work harder to stay afloat.”
This last claim could play into the hands of Democrats, as the economic burden has dogged Trump’s second presidency.
However, remarked the Hill that Tafoya’s campaign would push Democrats to invest in the race, even though a Republican has not won a statewide election since. Tim Pawlenty won a second term in 2006.
Democrats such as Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan are also running to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith. The race could be crucial in Democrats’ bid to retake the Senate in 2026.
Tafoya was hired by NBC in 2011; the last football game she covered was the Super Bowl in early 2022.
