Michele Tafoya, a former sideline reporter for the NFL, will soon decide whether to run for the Senate in Minnesota, a blue-leaning state that Republicans are freshly contesting amid a sprawling fraud scandal.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has been recruiting Tafoya, who left sports broadcasting in 2022 for a career in politics, to run for the seat of retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) next year. She met with Republicans in Washington last week to discuss a campaign, according to a source familiar with the matter, and is leaning toward a run.
The state is considered a Democratic stronghold, and a Republican has not won a Senate race there since 2002. However, Tafoya would be a high-profile candidate for the GOP, owing to her decades of experience as a sports reporter for ESPN and NBC. While in Washington last week, she sat down with the NRSC and Senate Leadership Fund, which together will try to preserve Republicans’ Senate majority in 2026.
They are more focused on protecting GOP-held seats in Maine and North Carolina, while Georgia and Michigan represent some of their best pickup opportunities. Yet the recruitment of Tafoya suggests Republicans will still contest Minnesota next year, forcing Democrats to divert resources to defend an open seat. Tafoya is expected to make an announcement early next year.
The state has come under scrutiny over reports of widespread fraud that Republicans have blamed on Gov. Tim Walz’s (D-MN) management of a pandemic-era welfare program. Dozens of people have been convicted so far in the scheme, which is believed to be centered on Minnesota’s Somali community.
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Meanwhile, the Democratic primary has become a proxy battle between the establishment and progressive wings of the party, with Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) regarded as more electable and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan endorsed by a slate of left-leaning senators.
Craig has used Tafoya’s possible entry into the race to argue that she is better-suited for the general election next November. Since leaving sports broadcasting, Tafoya has been a political consultant and commentator.