Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya announced her intention to run as a Republican for Minnesota‘s Senate seat in the 2026 midterm elections in a video shared on Wednesday (January 21).
“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,” Tafoya wrote in a caption for the video.
Tafoya, 61, who lives in the Plymouth suburb, has been outspoken about her conservative views since departing from NBC Sports in 2022, initially serving as co-chair for Kendall Qualls‘ failed Minnesota gubernatorial campaign and was reported to have met with the Senate Leadership Fund and other stakeholders in Washington, D.C., in December, according to the New York Post.
The ‘Tafoya for Senate’ campaign had previously been filed with the FEC on Tuesday, prior to the former sideline reporter officially announcing her candidacy hours later. The Senate seat is up for grabs after Democrat Sen. Tina Smith announced she wouldn’t seek re-election for a second term last February, claiming her “decision is not political, it is entirely personal” at the time.
Tafoya has been vocal about issues within her home state, including protests over the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, having re-shared the New York Post‘s report on 7,000 illegal immigrant gang members being busted during President Donald Trump‘s first year in office during his second term with “Why would anyone protect these people from law enforcement?”
Other Republican candidates in the Minnesota Senate seat primary include former Minnesota Senate Minority Leader David Hann, former NBA player Royce White and U.S. Navy SEAL veteran Adam Schwarze.
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